Dimensions: object: 406 x 254 x 248 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Here we have Charles Web Gilbert's "The Critic," a marble bust. The subject's expression feels quite severe. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: Consider the labour involved in extracting and carving marble, a material often associated with wealth and power. How does Gilbert's choice of material influence our understanding of the "critic" and their role in society? Is this celebration or condemnation? Editor: I hadn't considered the material itself as commentary! It's fascinating to think about the social implications embedded in the marble and its carving.
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tate 3 months ago
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Australian sculptor Charles Web Gilbert began his career as a pastry chef. Encouraged by his skill in making cake decorations, he began to study fine art. He lived in London from 1914-20. When he returned to Australia, he made a large number of memorials to the dead of the First World War. This work is a portrait bust of the printmaker Stanley Anderson (1884-1966). Anderson is known for etchings and engravings of London and its surrounding area, which show ordinary people going about their everyday lives. Charles Web Gilbert was born in Cockatoo, Victoria in Australia in 1867. He died in Melbourne in 1925. Gallery label, August 2004
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