Sculpture "Reading Woman" (2019), bronze
Sculpture "Reading Woman" (2019), bronze
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ars mundi Exclusive Edition | limited, 99 copies | numbered | signed | bronze | patinated | sculpture: size 11.5 x 30 x 10.7 cm (h/w/d) | base plate: size 0.4 x 25.8 x 10.7 cm (h/w/d) | weight 3.5 kg
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Sculpture "Reading Woman" (2019), bronze
A moment full of rest and relaxation: Leo Wirth's "Reading Woman".
The sculptor Leo Wirth draws his inspiration from people's everyday lives but always adds his interpretations to his sculptures. When shaping his sculptures, he recognisably focuses on the natural proportions of human beings and attaches great importance to a pictorial elaboration of the contours. Wirth's sculpture "Reading Woman" resembles the real beauty of the female body. It shows a young woman reading a book with concentration and thus symbolises rest and relaxation.
Fine bronze sculpture. Hand-cast using the Lost-Wax-Process and patinated by hand. Limited edition of 99 copies, numbered and signed. Size 11.5 x 30 x 10.7 cm (h/w/d) on a bronze base plate, size 0.4 x 25.8 x 10.7 cm (h/w/d). Weight 3.5 kg. ars mundi Exclusive Edition.
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About Leo Wirth
"It's the details that count" is the motto of sculptor Leo Wirth, and in each of his works, it is obvious how seriously he means it.
Leo Wirth works figuratively. With great dedication to detail, his works (portraits of people, fountain sculptures, religious and mythological motifs such as St. Francis or the Roman fertility goddess Ceres) come alive.
The same applies to his depiction of everyday people, which he is particularly interested in; people that any of us might run into on the street. His sculptures deal with human strengths and weaknesses and the challenges of life. It is easy to recognise oneself in those small, often humorous everyday life scenes. In their skilful execution, the realistic but also expressive sculptures are inviting to contemplate and reflect.
Leo Wirth, born in 1956, graduated from the technical school for wood and stone sculpture in Elbigenalp/Tyrol in 1989 as the best graduate of his year. Afterwards, he decided to start his own business as a freelance sculptor. His success proved him right. Today his large sculptures can be found in public places in Dorum by the North Sea ("Deicharbeiter") to Isny in the Allgäu ("Neidhammelbrunnen").
An alloy of copper with other metals (especially with tin) used since ancient times.
When casting bronze, the artist usually applies the lost-wax technique which is dating back more than 5000 years. It's the best, but also the most complex method of producing sculptures.
First, the artist forms a model of his sculpture. It is embedded in a liquid silicone rubber mass. Once the material has solidified, the model is cut out. The liquid wax is poured into the negative mould. After cooling down, the wax cast is removed from the mould, provided with sprues and dipped into ceramic mass. The ceramic mass is hardened in a kiln, whereby the wax flows out (lost mould).
Now we finally have the negative form, into which the 1400° C hot molten bronze is poured. After the bronze had cooled down, the ceramic shell is broken off and the sculpture is revealed.
Now the sprues are removed, the surfaces are polished, patinated and numbered by the artist himself or, to his specifications, by a specialist. Thus, each casting becomes an original work.
For lower-quality bronze castings, the sand casting method is often used which, however, does not achieve the results of a more complex lost-wax technique in terms of surface characteristics and quality.
Graphic or sculpture edition that was initiated by ars mundi and is available only at ars mundi or at distribution partners licensed by ars mundi.
Term for an art object (sculpture, installation), which is produced in multiple copies in a limited and numbered edition according to the artist‘s will.
Artist's multiples have been called the most accessible and affordable art on the market.
A plastic work of sculptural art made of wood, stone, ivory, bronze or other metals.
While sculptures from wood, ivory or stone are made directly from the block of material, in bronze casting a working model is prepared at first. Usually, it is made of clay or other easily mouldable materials.
The prime time of sculpture after the Greek and Roman antiquity was the Renaissance. Impressionism gave a new impulse to the sculptural arts. Contemporary artists such as Jorg Immendorf, Andora, and Markus Lupertz also enriched sculptures with outstanding works.