Antony Gormley

Antony Gormley

            Antony Gormley is a famous sculptor from Britain.  He is famous for his use of the human body within his works.  He has even used his own body to make metal casts for his projects.  Gormley’s use of the human body attempts to create works that viewers can identify with because the body is a reference point that we all have in common.  Many of his human figure sculptures are created out of cast iron, fiberglass, and even clay.  He also uses geometric shapes in a more abstract depiction of the body, but even these are still recognizably human in nature.   Gormley also creates drawings using a wide range of mediums, from the traditional inks and charcoals, to linseed oil, coffee, and bodily fluids as drawing utensils.    

            I am inspired by Antony Gormley’s theory about looking and finding.  Many of his sculptures, especially in his Event Horizon project, have been placed on the tops of buildings, which disrupts the skyline.  Gormley says that this disruption of the skyline makes people more aware of their surroundings, and once they begin actively looking they will find his artworks.  I also enjoy looking through Gormley’s portfolio of drawings, because of his experimentation with nontraditional drawing materials.  He always stays true to his theme of the human body as a subject of his artwork.