Tony Craig - a contemporary sculptor creates a representation of the purest movement, continuous energy that has no beginning and no end. The material is in constant transformation. His sculptures do not try to represent any object that we know from nature and the environment. They are a creation unto themselves.
Tony Cragg analyzes its development and concludes that, compared to other artistic branches, contemporary sculpture has developed the least. All the time, he is concerned with showing the inner energy and movement that is hidden under the most accurate anatomical representation of a person. The most successful sculptors throughout history have been those who have been able to incorporate movement into stone or bronze. Even in portraits and busts, an effort is made to incorporate tension as a hint of movement.
This artist does not want to make copies of nature, he believes that nature is superior in its creation. From nature, he takes the complexity and complexity that is hidden behind each element. It requires itself to create its own forms without known models.
As a student, he went through a phase of minimalism. According to him, it was a very useful experience because he realized that he did not want to create in that manner.
SELECTION OF MATERIALS
“Tony Cragg – New Stones Newton's Tones (1982)” by BernieCB is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
“Tony Cragg – Secretions 1998 plastic” by puffin11uk is marked with CC0 1.0.
“Tony Cragg – Secretions 1998 plastic” by puffin11uk is marked with CC0 1.0.
Tony decided to think through man-made material. Plastic, glass, steel, bronze, and laminated wood are the materials that interest him. Plastic was his first choice and initial stage. After World War II, the world experienced great poverty, and the beginning of the use of plastic objects in the 60s seemed extremely luxurious. He used plastic objects to create three-dimensional paintings that celebrate human inventiveness.
Sculpture is a very rare discipline in which the material from which it is made does not have the utilitarian-useful purpose we are used to. Tony's work is a study of how materials affect us. His approach is called radical materialism. The moment when the material takes shape is the moment when an idea or emotion is incorporated into it.
The artist uses new technologies. He was the first to paint bronze on his sculptures. This was impossible to do until some time ago a glaze was produced, a color that would overcome the electricity that bronze contains. The colors he uses are almost primary and recalls his initial phase of using plastic.
LAYERING
The initial phase of his artistic work was based on simple layering models. The geological approach was first presented in his work Guglia (Guglie) in 1987. This is a modern representation of minarets or church steeples, which in the past were the greatest drivers of human communication. The work was created by stacking cylindrical metal elements - machine waste. The machine is a symbol of human inventiveness and intelligence.
With these words, he very simply described the character of his art. His work Caldera, presented in an exhibition in a Yorkshire park, hides the profiles of two people kissing. However, that vision must be reached by movement. Therefore, Craig's sculptures represent movement and prompt the viewer to move themselves.
This work belongs to the group he called Rational beings, in which it is possible to recognize human characters depending on the angle of observation.
“Tony Cragg” by puffin11uk is marked with CC0 1.0.
“Tony Cragg” by puffin11uk is marked with CC0 1.0.
WALFRIDEN SCULPTURE PARK
Tony Craig is originally from Liverpool, he started his career in Germany where he received a professorship at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Dusseldorf. His atelier in Wuppertal, Germany, where he has been working for more than 40 years, has expanded to new premises. When he wanted to make a joint exhibition with his students, he encountered resistance from the surrounding residents. This made him buy Villa Walfrieden, near his studio.
The villa is surrounded by a park and forest - an excellent stage for exhibiting sculptures. In this way, a direct dialogue between art and nature is ensured. In the same way, Rodin exhibited his works next to ancient sculptures, thus proving that he was not copying them. The contrast is evident between natural and human creation.
The Waldfiden Sculpture Park is known as a place to exhibit the most influential contemporary sculptors. About 45 exhibitions were held in this area.
Academician and professor at several faculties of fine arts, Tony Craig participated several times in the Venice Biennale. He exhibited all over the world and in the world's largest museums. In addition to museums, outdoor exhibitions are characteristic of contemporary sculpture. This is how the exhibition was organized in the Boboli Gardens in Florence. He is the winner of a large number of prestigious awards from various countries.
Tony Craig's contemporary sculpture delights us with previously unseen forms that he himself gave meaning to.
