Arnold Zwicky's Blog

(Another warning about male genitals in fine art)

Encountered on Pinterest on 10/29, a poster of a stunning wooden sculpture of Icarus by Ukrainian artist Bogdan Goloyad:

(#1) The 2015 sculpture (shown in the poster mounted on a vertical surface) catches Icarus in desperate mid-fall; the red willow work is 162 cm [5.3 ft] high and 58 cm [1.9 ft] wide

Text from Pinterest about Icarus:

In Greek mythology, Icarus was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the creator [working for King Minos of Crete] of the Labyrinth [designed to hold the Minotaur]. [Icarus and Daedalus] attempted to escape from Crete by means of wings that Daedalus constructed from feathers and wax. Icarus ignored his father’s instruction not to fly too close to the sun. When the wax in his wings melted, he tumbled out of the sky and drowned in the sea.

The Bogdan Goloyad Art Facebook site has a somewhat different presentation of the sculpture, against a carpet:

(#2)

And then about the artist, from the Fine Art America (a sales agent for many artists) site:

Bogdan Goloyad [born in 1967] is an artist of rare talents: a sculptor, painter and graphic artist. As a gifted child, he began his training at the National Art School, then later at the Ukraine Academy of Arts.

He is greatly influenced and inspired by European Realism. This artistic style began in Italy and quickly spread through France, Holland and other European countries. Reaching its peak in the 19th century, it is this period of art that has greatly inspired Bogdan, and represents a style to which he strives to achieve.

His work is greatly celebrated, and includes the Central Crucifixion (wood) at the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Alexander (Kostelna Street, Kiev). Other works include the Central Iconistasis (Eastern Ceremony) of the Kiev Catholic Church of Saint Nikolay. Additionally, he has produced many murals throughout public and private residences in Ukraine. Other works including paintings, graphics and sculptures in marble, wood and terracotta are held in collections in the United States, Poland, Russia, Austria, France and Greece.

Back in 2007, Goloyad was still in Kyiv. Now he’s in Lleida, Spain. These are our times.

This entry was posted on November 20, 2024 at 2:34 pm and is filed under Art, Language and the body, Myths. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.