Statements

2009 ARTIST'S STATEMENT

“Bitere hertsn zoln getreyst vern…” (May bitter hearts be comforted…)

The images we surround ourselves with do matter. Depictions of the mother/infant bond are iconic in Western art. Sculptural images of the “heart connections” between interdependent adult figures are more rare, though such connections are a psychological truth for some people and a goal for others.

My current works generally involve two or three sculpted figures, who literally support and hold onto each other with strength. These serve to demonstrate through posture and gesture a vision of basic trust, a restoration of pride and confidence, and of hope for the future.

The process of simplifying and abstracting body forms and faces from life, from some pose of unity which I perceive into some sort of a geometric unity which others hopefully can perceive, is long rooted in sculptural traditions. It is also modernistic in scope.

Describing form primarily by using the negative space between figures is a relatively modern form of composition. Searching for the vitality and movement which springs from deviation from symmetry is a trait found in much of the world’s carving tradition, ancient Greek to modern, when depicting the human figure.

The modesty of scale of my recent work is meant to convey charm rather than power. I start with images from life and from photos which make me personally feel happy. I am lately carving small but massive, rooted, figures in clay, as well as incising light and tender figurative lines into sculptural reliefs. Both types of work follow my visual goals of economy of line, vitality, clarity, and “sheynkeyt” (literally: beauty-fullness).

Joan Rudd, August 2009

2008 ARTIST'S STATEMENT

"Each of my sculptures has a story. In pre-literate societies, sculpture was a way to both leave a record and to transmit culture. I sculpt to capture special moments of connectedness between people, to capture a geometric unity of form and composition, and hopefully, to depict a warm “sheynkayt” or spiritual beauty. My intent with figurative work is to make interior psychological states visible.

Some sculptures are based on actual moments of human connection that I observe myself, and some are based on photographic images. The titles all reflect a meaning to me based on the images. I want to be as sure in my carving as I am in my drawing so I have been practicing carving by incising shapes on rolled out clay.

As a woman as well as a sculptor, I feel that I am one of many "guardians of memory", who devote themselves to preserving images of the goodness and vigor of life. The figures I have carved in the round all represent some identifiable kind of emotion, love or grief or hope recalled. My art conveys transitory and alive moments of human emotion - and the resilience of the figures expressing them.

I do not know what a piece will look like before I start. I take what I know about proportion, balance, symmetry, and deviation from symmetry to create new and organic forms. It is gesture that has finally allowed me to invent believable human figures that are representational, though not particularly realistic.

Carving into firm clay blocks is direct and fast. The limits of the technique force me to find the large movements within the figure. The result is simple, clear, and alive. All pieces can be enlarged as well as cast in bronze or in concrete, or carved in stone. A range of color and patina is also possible.

Economy of line, clarity, and vitality have always been the qualities I value."

Joan Rudd, January 2008

2006 ARTIST’S STATEMENT

"Practicing drawing from live models keeps my eye looking for gesture in every movement. It is gesture which has finally allowed me to invent believable human figures which are representational, though not at all realistic.

This representational art communicates emotion directly, and was produced over the last two years. Unlike academic realism, these pieces were not begun with the end product in mind. Rather, carving tools used on damp clay resulted in abstractions of the human figure. Details are left to the imagination.

Carving into firm clay blocks is direct and fast, and is a relatively new direction for me. The limits of the technique force me to find the large movements within the figure. The result is simple, clear, and as alive as I can make it.

My choice of titles and using the Yiddish language to express them is based on a growing admiration for the sayings of my folk culture. The wry humor and boundless wisdom of the proverbs sustains me. Economy of line, clarity, and vitality have always been the qualities I strive for in my art."

Joan Rudd, May 2006