During the month of October, a new selection of sculptures was placed around the byways of Charlottesville. It is the result of the very successful ArtInPlace public art program, and has become an annual tradition in this town.
At the northwest entrance to downtown, on the corner of the busy intersection of McIntire, High and Market Streets is one of my favorite selections. Draped Landolina is a nearly six foot tall aluminum female figure made by Gary Mitchell (aka Mitchellini) of St. Louis, Missouri. It is the only sculpture of the human form in this year’s selection. As a juror, I witnessed the other jurors wrestle with the concept of choosing a nude for the public domain. "Phbbthhhh," I said. Regardless, a compromise was reached, and out of the two sculptures presented by Gary, we went with the one that was most clothed. Whatever.
Gary uses a high technology method to make his contemporary metal sculpture. He has developed a technique, which he learned from the aircraft industry, in which an armature is draped with hand-shaped pieces of aluminum sheet metal and registered with respect to each other. The many pieces are fastened together with rivets (see the detail picture below) to make an integrated whole sculpture, which is lightweight and colossal in scale. The nature of the aluminum (being difficult to form) influences and limits the form. In this sense Gary keeps alive a sculptural tradition in which the artist is interested in the world outside the artist's self - namely the nature of sheet metal, its limitations and possibilities.
For Gary, the nude represents the subject that is most loaded with meaning and is the ultimate test of artistic proficiency. The proportions that Gary uses have a subtle and precise. The effect of the generalized lines and proportions make for a nude that is chaste and sensual, not vulgar or dehumanizing.
Next time you drive (or ride or walk or jog) into downtown Cville, take a moment and enjoy our new classically statuesque gate keeper. She really dresses up the place.
Draped Landolina is available for purchase. Gary’s website lists the price at a very reasonable $3,000. Buy it now and by next fall, you can include this magnificent piece in your front yard.
(Writer’s note: Portions of this post were gleaned from Gary Mitchell’s website.)
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