Sculpture "Ammonite with Mask", bronze version
Sculpture "Ammonite with Mask", bronze version
Quick info
limited, 149 copies | numbered | signed | bronze + stone | patinated | size total 30 x 11 x 8 cm (h/w/d) | weight approx. 3.3 kg
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Detailed description
Sculpture "Ammonite with Mask", bronze version
In Becker's sculptural representation of his ammonites, the harmonious interplay of symmetrical shell form with the natural beauty of the female body is particularly striking.
Edition in fine bronze. Cast using the Lost-Wax-Process, patinated in several colours. Limited edition of 149 copies, numbered and signed. Size incl. shell limestone base 30 x 11 x 8 cm (h/w/d). Weight approx. 3.3 kg.
Producer: ars mundi Edition Max Büchner GmbH, Bödekerstraße 13, 30161 Hanover, Germany Email: info@arsmundi.de
About Michael Becker
Michael Becker's symbioses of nature and femininity.
"Art with pleasure" – this is the motto that Bremen artist Michael Becker has chosen for his work. The graphic artist, illustrator, painter and sculptor creates fantastically surrealistic and figurative symbioses of humans and nature - combined with erotic allusions, irony and humour. "My art should be fun and aesthetic," he says.
Born in 1951, Becker initially worked for many years as a graphic designer and began his exhibition activities as an artist in 1994. Becker's imagery is fantastic in the third dimension while striving for perfect aesthetics. It aims to express beauty in the classical sense. In doing so, his motifs repeatedly bring together the themes of humans and nature, mostly in the depiction of erotic female figures that do not compete with the beauty of nature but are deeply symbiotic with it.
"For me, nature has the essence of a woman, inspiring, fascinating, impressive and full of transformations."
An alloy of copper with other metals (especially with tin) used since ancient times. It is an ideal metal for high-quality artistic castings, capable of enduring for millennia.
When casting bronze, the artist usually applies the lost-wax technique which is dating back more than 5000 years. This is the best, but also the most complex method of producing sculptures.
First, the artist forms a model of their work. This model is embedded in a liquid silicone rubber mass. Once the material has solidified, the model is cut out, leaving a negative mould. Liquid wax is then poured into the negative mould. After cooling down, the wax cast is removed from the mould, provided with sprues and dipped into ceramic mass. The ceramic mass is hardened in a kiln, where the wax melts away (lost mould).
Finally, the negative mould is ready, into which the 1400° C hot molten bronze is poured. After the bronze had cooled down, the ceramic shell is broken apart, reavoling the sculpture.
Next, the sprues are removed, the surfaces are polished, patinated and numbered by the artist or by a specialist, following their instructions. Thus, each casting is an original work.
For lower-quality bronze castings, the sand casting method is often used, which, however, does not achieve the results of a more elaborate lost-wax technique in terms of surface characteristics and quality.
Sculptural representation of a person's head and shoulders.
Term for an art object (sculpture, installation) that, according to the artist’s intention, is produced in multiple copies within a limited and numbered edition.
Multiples enable the "democratization" of art by making the work accessible and affordable for a wider audience.
A plastic work of sculptural art made of wood, stone, ivory, bronze or other metals.
While sculptures made of wood, ivory, or stone are carved directly from the material block, in bronze casting, a working model is prepared at first. Usually, it is made of clay or other easily mouldable materials.
The prime time of sculpture after the Greek and Roman antiquity was the Renaissance. Impressionism gave a new impulse to the sculptural arts. Contemporary artists such as Jorg Immendorf, Andora, and Markus Lupertz also enriched sculptures with outstanding works.