Meditation c. 1931 - 1969

Curator: This is Jacques Lipchitz's "Meditation," a plaster sculpture residing here at the Tate. It's quite small, just under 20 centimeters in height. What’s your immediate impression? Editor: It feels like…yearning. Like two figures trying to connect, but there's a weighty separation, a sense of struggle in the rough texture. Curator: Lipchitz's process was very hands-on; he favored plaster for its directness. The visible tool marks speak to a constant negotiation with the material. Editor: Absolutely. You can almost feel the artist’s energy in those marks. It makes me think about the labor, the physical act of creation as part of the meditation itself. Curator: Precisely! And the repeated use of plaster as a sculptural medium moved away from traditional associations with marble and bronze. Editor: For me, it’s about the vulnerable human condition, that need for connection in this imperfect world. Curator: A powerful statement that shifts the emphasis from idealized form to raw human experience. Editor: Yes, a small piece that really speaks volumes.