Little relaxer 1935

Yannoulis Chalepas's 'Little Relaxer' is a sculpture of a reclining figure. I imagine Chalepas coaxing this form out of the clay, the figure emerging slowly, intuitively. He’s really dug into the material, so you can see the marks of his hands. It's fascinating to think about what he might have been thinking as he worked on this. There's a sense of the artist's direct touch, a kind of empathy with the clay. The folds in her belly are beautifully done, suggesting that they are relaxed and real. I want to touch them myself. I feel a connection with artists across time who try to capture the human form in a raw, honest way. Chalepas is part of this conversation, contributing his own unique voice. Like a painting, this sculpture becomes a space where we can project our own feelings and experiences, finding new meanings each time we look at it.