Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Mitoraj

Igor Mitoraj died this month (the 6th) in Paris at the age of 70. I always had an interest in his sculptures. Below are some of his works, often linked to the beauty and sometimes fragile aspect of the male face and body.
'Hermanos' from Mitoraj - displayed in Agrigento
Igor Mitoraj, of Polish origin, was born in 1944 in Germany, and moved to France at the age of 24. He then spent 4 years in Mexico, as he had a strong interest in Precolombian arts, and started to sculpt at that time. Back in Europe, he will go often to Italy from 1979, starting to sculpt marble, while still doing bronze and clay sculptures. In 1983, he opens his studio at Pietrasanta, famous for his marble quarries and workshops.

It is amazing to see that many of his giant works fit perfectly both in a very contemporary surrounding like the French Paris area of La Defense, or among old historical sites like the Valley of Temples in Agrigento (Sicilia). A part of eternity...

'Tindaro' by Mitoraj - 1997 - La Defense - Paris
'Icaro caduto' or 'Fallen Icarus' bronze by Mitoraj

Photo by Fernando Castilla
Photo by Giovanni Ricci Novara
'Angelo / Visita a Maria' marble by Mitoraj - Museo del Vaticano

'Angelo' bronze by Mitoraj - 2006 - Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli - Roma

'Christ' bronze by Mitoraj - 2006 - Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli - Roma

 
'Torso' bronze by Mitoraj

 
 
'Torso d'Icaro' bronze by Mitoraj - photo by Fernando Castilla
 
 
'Cacciatori di Adriano' bronze by Mitoraj - 2000
 In 2002, he displayed some of his sculptures at the Valley of Temples in Agrigento (Sicilia - Italy). This can be seen in this video.