Sam Harrison
For Harrison, figures under tension are a point of fascination. His approach to the subject is classical, often working from a life figure or model to begin his preparatory drawings.
Christchurch based artist Sam Harrison is a craftsman in every sense of the word. He is a master of many mediums, working across bronze, concrete and plaster along with watercolour and printmaking techniques. Harrison’s works have a raw, emotive quality, which is underpinned by meticulous attention to detail. The works presented in his second solo exhibition with Gow Langsford continue his exploration of the human figure. Harrison notes, "It’s timeless. There has been and always will be a nude, as long as we are here.”
Christchurch based artist Sam Harrison is a craftsman in every sense of the word. He is a master of many mediums, working across bronze, concrete and plaster along with watercolour and printmaking techniques. Harrison’s works have a raw, emotive quality, which is underpinned by meticulous attention to detail. The works presented in his second solo exhibition with Gow Langsford continue his exploration of the human figure. Harrison notes, "It’s timeless. There has been and always will be a nude, as long as we are here.”
The depiction of the human form in art has a rich history, evolving through various cultural and artistic periods. It has long been a way of telling stories, expressing beliefs or exploring the fundamental nature of what it is to be human. For Harrison, figures under tension are a point of fascination. His approach to the subject is classical, often working from a life figure or model to begin his preparatory drawings. The focal point of this exhibition is a bronze sculpture titled Crouching Figure. Here, a naked female figure bends, her head down with one knee on the ground. Her arms cross her body in a contemplative or introspective way. One could draw comparisons to Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker . Her face shielded, there is something philosophical about the pose. She is both exposed and protective of herself, her form provoking an emotional response. Harrison has a unique way of drawing upon tradition to carry out a contemporary questioning of the human condition.
A suite of recent woodblock prints also features in the exhibition. Here, Harrison’s eye for detail and practice of close looking is particularly apparent. The artist embraces the natural properties and imperfections of the woodblock he works into to render the human figure in various crouched positions. Much like the figure in bronze, these figures are in tension. They are crouched or kneeling, their faces almost always concealed. The focus then becomes the form of the body, the angles and protrusions of muscle and bone presented in an almost anatomical sense, alongside the broader, fundamental questioning of the human state.
