Throughout art history, the subject of the human figure has been examined extensively. The earliest rock drawings show hunters in action, goddesses in fecund beauty and animals in motion. Later in High Classical times, art history rendered the human form with such definition, that it set off hundreds of years of an exploration of ‘the body’ as an expression of perfection, emotion, an exposition of light and dark, space and movement. From marble to bronze, acrylic to oil, charcoal to pencil (and all materials in between), artists have used all materials to convey meaning and expression through the depiction of ‘the body’ and in particular, the human figure.
Later in modern and post modern art, (for example, Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism and Abstraction), the human form has been expressed through our artistic oeuvre. Similarly, amateur art has, and still does, delve into the romantic, analytic and almost kitsch interpretation of the human figure.
Enter Christchurch artist Sam Harrison. Since he graduated with a Bachelor of Art and Design from the CPIT School of Art and Design in 2006, (and in the same year won the Visual Arts First Prize in the Mortlock McCormack Law Art competition and additionally, the Farina Thompson Drawing Award), Harrison has scrutinised the human figure with exceptional acuity and skill. Neither too sentimental or emotionally vacuous, Harrison’s skill and keen sensitivity delivers artworks that are strong and engaging. Using a range of materials, (from concrete to plaster and wire, to watercolour, and woodcut, charcoal and cast bronze), he explores our fascination with this subject.
In his woodcuts, Harrison uses size to present a work on paper that is larger than life.
His skill as an outdoor hunter brings an eye that is detailed in execution and expression. Harrison uses the knots within the plywood wood itself to accentuate the contours and contrasts of his etched mark making. One is reminded of the human forms of the Renaissance artist Albert Durer (1471-1528). There is an underlying timeless and universal element running strongly through these works. As Harrison says himself regarding his commitment to the nude, "It’s timeless. There has been and always will be a nude, as long as we are here.”
Mentored by the late Christchurch sculptor Llew Summers, Harrison was greatly influenced by Summers’ use of concrete in his sculptures. Says Harrison, “Llew was so full of life and made so much stuff possible for me; he let me use his yard and showed me how to make mouldings and how to cast in concrete. Some of my biggest projects could not have happened without him”. For Harrison, using concrete in his works gives his sculptures a lasting quality that improves with time. Says Harrison, “I love it. It's durable, it has the physical quality that I love about sculpture.”
Recent figurative sculptures are worked in bronze and plaster and are rendered as concealed figures. Swathed in draped mantles, the figures are recognisable, through the beautiful fold of cloth. Yet these figures remain a mystery. It is hard to decipher whether they are male or female and as such, come to represent all of humanity throughout time and place. They hint at the intricate manner in which Harrison creates these works. First he creates the works from sketches from life, then renders the human form in plaster. Lastly, covering the work with a sheet, Harrison uses plaster to build up and seal the folds of fabric. The result is both beautiful and technically bold. A recognisable yet hidden story of our place in time and space, Harrison through his use of many mediums and representations, anchors the human figure to our place in history, while echoing our strong connection to the past and future and the ceaselessness of the human journey.