Monday 5 November 2012

Scupture corner

Art and controversy often go hand in hand, and one artist who's no stranger to it is  Damien Hirst. From his animals in tanks to his jewel encrusted skull, Damien has always been someone that provoked, shall we say, differing opinions.
His latest major work is no different, and it's fair to say that the installation of the sculpture Verity, has generated some very strong and conflicting views. A 20.25m high bronze depiction of a naked pregnant woman, Verity looks out to sea from the Devon town of Ilfracombe. Holding aloft a sword, with a pair of scales in the other hand, and standing on books, I assume she symbolises justice.
The stance of the figure and her face are modelled on Degas' 'Little Dancer', but her body is normal one one side, with the other partially dissected like an anatomical model.
Damien has donated the sculpture to Ilfracombe free for 20 years, so it'll be interesting to see if people's attitudes to it change over that period. After all, both The Spirit of the North, and even the Eiffel Tower were disliked when they were first erected.









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