Sir Jacob Epstein
The Risen Christ1917 - 1919'The Risen Christ' began as a portrait of Epstein's friend, the composer Bernard van Dieren. It was begun in 1917 when van Dieren was ill, and Epstein wanted to make a mask of him looking 'spiritual and worn with suffering.' After making a mask from clay, the piece then developed into the figure of Christ. Work was temporarily put on hold when Epstein was enlisted in 1917 but continued a year later. The artist considered the figure to be an anti-war statement and declared that he would ideally like it to be remodelled and made hundreds of feet high as a 'mighty symbolic warning to all lands.'
Glossary [1] Show
Symbolism
The representation of subjects or ideas by use of a device or motif to create underlying meaning. A literary and artistic movement that originated in France and spread through much of Europe in the late 19th century. There was no consistent style but rather an appeal to the idea of the artist as mystic or visionary and the desire to express a world beyond superficial appearances.
- Accession no. GMA 1092
- Medium Bronze (unique cast)
- Size 218.50 x 54.50 x 56.00 cm
- Credit Purchased 1969
Sir Jacob Epstein (American / British, 1880 - 1959)
American-born Epstein studied art in Paris then settled in England in 1905. He was one of the first sculptors to take an interest in (so-called) primitive and ancient sculpture and had an outstanding collection of his own. By 1920 he had become probably the most notorious modern artist working in Britain, condemned for the stylized treatment of form in some works and for the brazen nudity in others. Like Moore, Hepworth and many other early twentieth-century sculptors, Epstein wanted his carvings to reflect the individual qualities and form of the original block of stone. This tendency is often referred to as being 'true to the materials'.
Glossary [2] Show
Primitive
A term once used to describe the art of non-Western cultures such as Africa and Oceania, now generally seen as deprecatory and indicative of an outdated belief in Western superiority. It is also used to describe artists, usually self-taught, who work outside of the currents of mainstream art practice.
Stylization
To represent something in accordance with artistic convention rather than its actual appearance.