Wood Carving - Eagle c. 1941

Editor: We're looking at "Wood Carving - Eagle," a piece made around 1941 by Harry King. The description notes carving, drawing and painting as medium and I'm immediately drawn to how its pale palette gives the sculpture almost an ethereal quality, despite the quite rigid composition. What do you make of this, particularly regarding form? Curator: I find the deliberate articulation of each individual feather fascinating. Note how King contrasts the smooth, rounded form of the eagle’s body with the sharply defined, almost geometric shapes of the wings. This juxtaposition creates a visual tension that energizes the composition. The question becomes, how do these stylistic choices enhance the representation itself? Editor: It seems to remove some of the naturalism we might expect in a Realist piece and introduce abstraction. Do you think the slight use of watercolors is meant to counteract that at all? Curator: Possibly. Observe the interplay of light and shadow across the carved surface. King uses delicate washes of watercolor to subtly model the form, giving it depth and volume, while emphasizing its materiality, even through the chosen light values. Editor: So it's about creating both two and three dimensional effects simultaneously? It’s almost like King is revealing the process of creation itself through form and tonal modulations. Curator: Precisely! Consider too how the chosen form serves an abstract function independent of representation. Editor: It really emphasizes the impact that close looking can have. I see this work quite differently now.