artist statement
| Artist Statement |
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| Jonathan Prince Artist Statement July 2011 For as long as I can remember, the idea of making something and the pride I felt from showing it to others has always been a force in my life. When I was very young, my father took me to visit the studio of his friend Jacques Lipchitz in Hastings-on-Hudson. I remember being totally captivated watching and listening as he worked on a massive clay sculpture destined to become one of his famous bronzes. This was the ultimate "show and tell" game - and its influence on me has never diminished. My personal feeling is that strong works of art are greatly about the medium. For me, the solidity and strength of stone and steel have always had a profound effect. These materials ground me... connect me to the earth and its history. Shaping stone or forming steel is not a spontaneous exercise - it takes perseverance, dedication and patience - attributes that I hold in high esteem in life and work. The history I feel in each block of stone or plate of steel has directed my interest toward a fascination with artifacts - objects which may give information about the culture of its creator and users. I am drawn toward a reinterpretation of man made objects, often familiar in form but mysterious as to its function. I am attracted to forms that have had their surfaces interrupted by a break or fracture. Broken surfaces are inherent to the properties of stone - but not of steel. Because of a recent interest in steel fabrication, I have developed a technique that simulates the look of a fractured stone surface which I refer to as “Torn Steel”. My investigation into steel forms are an extension of the granite sculptures that I continue to create. At first glance my art may resemble archetypal forms but, a closer investigation may lead to more questions than answers about its provenance. My hope is that each individual observer will ask questions based on their own experience and thereby begin to discover more about art, life, and nature. |