The Story of a Work: Pur-Sang - Episode 1/6
Updated: 2 days ago
To launch this blog, I offer you, through several articles, a glimpse into my creative process, using as an example Pur-sang, a monumental sculpture representing the forequarters of a galloping Arabian purebred, at a 1:1 scale. This project, born from a commission, perfectly illustrates the collaboration between my creative freedom as an artist and the vision of my client.
1. Genesis of Pur-sang : When art meets equestrian passion
1.1. The meeting and the specifications
As is often the case, it all begins with an encounter with people passionate about both horses and sculpture, I met at their home. Their request was quite specific: a monumental bronze sculpture of the forequarters of an Arabian purebred, dynamic and true to the elegance of this breed. The sculpture had to appear to spring from the undergrowth bordering their property and be perfectly showcased from various well-defined viewpoints.
When creating a commissioned work, it is essential to consider its context and environment. I therefore immersed myself in this space in order to then be able to project myself into the creative process.
Apart from these requests, my clients gave me a great deal of freedom for my artistic interpretation.
1.2. The maquette : a tool for exchange and validation
From the outset of the project, I opted to create a preliminary maquette at 1/4 scale. This proved essential in order to:
Quickly confirm the proportions and the overall balance of the sculpture's masses.
Refining the anatomical details will bring the sculpture to life (musculature, position of limbs, expression of the head).
Testing the viewing angles and the visual impact from different points of perspective.
Explore the dynamics of the pose: the modeling was done in plastiline on an aluminium armature, which made it easy to explore many movement configurations, adjusting the inclination of the body, the tension of the muscles and the position of the legs to find the perfect balance between realism and aesthetics.
1.3. The study of movement
To accurately depict the gallop, I analyzed numerous photographic and video references. This study allowed me to observe that not all phases of the gallop are aesthetically equal. Some positions, while technically correct, presented broken lines or visual imbalances. My choice therefore fell on a pose “almost” suspended (suspension phase of the gallop), where we can see that:
The forelegs are stretched forward, creating a fluid and dynamic line.
One hoof touches the ground, to give the impression that there are two stages of the same movement, which amplifies the sensation of movement (I will return to this method for creating movement theorized by Rodin in a future article).
The head and neck, also taut, naturally extend the movement, reinforcing the impression of speed and grace.
In just a few days, I created the maquette in plastiline with this in mind.
1.4. Customer validation and finalization of the quote
Once the maquette was complete, I invited my clients to my studio for approval. Their enthusiasm was immediate and allowed us to finalize the quote for the monumental bronze sculpture, in collaboration with the Avangini art foundry. This quote included:
The 1:1 scale clay modeling,
The elastomer molding,
The lost-wax bronze casting,
The installation of the monumental sculpture on site.
This step marked the securing of the final order and the transition to the implementation phase.
1.5. Design of the steel load-bearing structure
After validation of the maquette and confirmation of the order, an engineering phase followed, in order to design and produce the steel structure designed to support the 180 kg of clay needed for modeling. The methodology I adopted was as follows:
A 2D design stage: Starting from a photo of the 1/4 scale model, I drew the 2D frame on the photo. A scale grid was then superimposed on this photo.
A 1:1 scaling: I then redrew the grid, then the armature, at a 1:1 scale in 2D.
The manufacturing: this drawing served as a template for cutting and welding the elements of the load-bearing frame, composed of various steel beams (80x80 mm) and rebar.
Finally, a base made of 10 mm thick steel plate and one caster system have been integrated to allow easy movement of the work in progress within the studio.
See you next week for the next step: Modeling of Pur-sang: the construction of volumes in clay
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