SPHINX I 1977

Ernst Fuchs crafted this bronze Sphinx, sometime during his life, with such care. The modelling of the bronze is so smooth, and those little details, like the heart shapes cut out from her hair, give it such a light touch. You can almost feel the warmth of the bronze, can’t you? It has this inviting, tactile quality, as though you could stroke your hands across it. I think it’s beautiful how Fuchs uses this warm colour to play on the mythic elements of the Sphinx. If you look at how he uses the medium, you can see that it's not about hiding the process but revealing it, inviting us to imagine its making. The way he captures the muscles, especially in the rear, feels alive and very human. Fuchs' work has a kinship with the surrealist master Salvador Dali, in that both artists have a keen interest in depicting dreamlike, phantasmagorical imagery. But, like all good art, this bronze, in its own way, remains elusive, refusing to be pinned down to any one meaning, inviting us to bring our own stories to it.