
International Art | Sculpture
Satyr with wineskin cast 19th century
after UNKNOWN ROMAN
International Art | Sculpture
Satyr with wineskin cast 19th century
after UNKNOWN ROMAN
International Art | Painting
The prodigal son c.1780-1840
UNKNOWN
International Art | Sculpture
Spinario cast late 19th century
after School of PASITELES
Asian Art | Print
Courtesans (reprint) unknown
after EISEN
Asian Art | Sculpture
Flying horse of Kansu cast 1973
after EASTERN HAN ARTIST
International Art | Sculpture
Bust of Niccolo da Uzzano unknown
after DONATELLO
International Art | Sculpture
Borghese warrior 19th century
after AGASIUS THE EPHESIAN
Pacific Art | Fibre
Jipai (mask) 2011
AFEX, Ben
International Art | Glass
Decanter c.1875-1900
AESTHETIC STYLE
International Art | Glass
Vase c.1880-1900
AESTHETIC STYLE
International Art | Glass
Vase c.1880-1900
AESTHETIC STYLE
Contemporary Australian Art | Installation
Blackboards with pendulums 1992
KENNEDY, Peter
International Art | Drawing
Design
ADAM, Sicander
International Art | Metalwork
Tea urn c.1770-1800
ADAM STYLE
International Art | Ceramic
Long necked vase c.1900-50
ACOMO PUEBLO
Pacific Art | Photograph
'Te Waiherehere', Koroniti, Wanganui River, 29 May 1986 1986, printed 1997
ABERHART, Laurence
Pacific Art | Photograph
Nature morte (silence), Savage Club, Wanganui, 20 February 1986 1986, printed 1999
ABERHART, Laurence
Pacific Art | Photograph
Angel over Whangape Harbour, Northland, 6 May 1982 1982, printed 1991
ABERHART, Laurence
Australian Art | Drawing
A memory of Gumeracha (study of flies) 1908
HEYSEN, Hans
Pacific Art | Print
The boxer 2009
ABEL, Patrik
Leading contemporary artist Anish Kapoor was born in India in 1954 and, through his Indian and Jewish ancestral lineage and his mainly British art education, has a rich cultural heritage. Kapoor decided at the age of 18 to become an artist and travelled to England where he studied at Hornsey College of Art, London (1973-77) and Chelsea School of Art, London (1977-78).
Kapoor's works are highly engaging, visually and physically, while also rich in philosophical references. They are informed by Jung's psychoanalytical ideas of archetypal forms, and concepts of duality in Hindu and other philosophies. His sculpture often takes the shape of concave or convex symbolic forms and explores the themes of 'origin', and 'place' or 'space', in a metaphysical context. Kapoor has said: 'I seem to be making sculpture about the space beyond, illusory space,'(1) which refers to the sources of creation such as the space within the mind, the space of the womb or the cosmic space. The concept of 'space' is closely linked to the idea of 'pregnant void' which in the Indian tradition (especially that of Buddhism) is expressed by the syllable 'om'.
Since 1979, when Kapoor visited India after completing his academic studies, pigment has become an intrinsic part of his sculpture. His use of colour is highly evocative, although limited to the primaries, red, yellow, blue, and black and white. It has been suggested that each colour has a symbolic value in Kapoor's work - red refers to the body and life; white expresses purity and chastity; while blue has a spiritual meaning, being a sacred colour in both Hindu and Christian beliefs.
In front of works like Void (#13) the viewer, captured by the mesmerising radiance of transcending blue, embarks on a physical and metaphysical exploration of form, space and the self. The work is not simply to be viewed, but to be experienced in a holistic way that involves the body and the mind. The interrelation between the eye and the other senses is very important: 'The need for the hand to reaffirm the uncertainty of the eye, the temptation to touch and the denial of it. There are some works ... in which sound and vision are each as important as the other.'(2)
Kapoor considers the response to his work very important. He says: 'I am interested in making objects that slow time down, that make you sit still and think. It is an intimate, quiet, hopefully tender moment.'(3) As an artist he is concerned with understanding the 'wholeness' of our experience of life: 'I wish to make sculpture about belief, about passion, about experience: that is outside of material concerns.'(4)
1. Kapoor, Anish, quoted in Mehta, Tasneem. 'The importance of being Anish Kapoor', The Art News Magazine of India, August 1996, p.37.
2. Kapoor, Anish, quoted in Bonami, Francesco. 'Anish Kapoor, Jumping into the void', Flash Art, vol. 27, no. 179, November-December 1994, p.81.
3. Kapoor, Anish in 'The importance of being Anish Kapoor', p.39.
4. Kapoor, Anish, quoted in Kemp, John. 'Stones of Venice: Anish Kapoor at the Biennale', Modern Painters, vol. 3, no. 2, Summer 1990, p.46.