MATERIAL: BRONZE OR BRONZE RESIN ON OAK PLINTH

MEASUREMENTS: TORSO IS 85CM HIGH, 35 CM WIDE AND 40 CM DEEP

BASE: OAK PLINTH WHICH IS 80CM HIGH AND 35CM SQUARE

Jane Shaw on this sculpture:
This life-size figurative torso sculpture was a commission to be put in a walled garden in Gloucestershire.  I began this project with a small maquette in wax.  My brief was to make the torso look alluring and bold.  Therefore when I began the  sculpture in clay on a large scale, I twisted the torso to create a feeling of movement and power.  I also left many of my marks created by the tools in the clay, as I did not want the viewer to forget this was a sculpture first and foremost.

I named this bronze figurative sculpture ‘Circe’ after the most powerful enchantresses in Greek mythology.  However, since the days of ancient Greece, Circe’s name has been related to witchcraft, deception and seduction.  But I am hoping this ‘Circe’ is just showing off her female curves and therefore the power of her body creates a lovely figurative torso in a garden, and can be a pleasure to view from every angle, or indeed at the end of a long path.

There is nothing wrong with seduction – it should be celebrated and enjoyed and I hope this bronze life-size torso of the female body will be seen as a great example of positive female power.