Untitled

Characteristic of Shapiro’s dynamic work composed of simple rectangular shapes, the bronze Untitled (1985) figure leans back on one arm, with its legs splayed widely across the platform. The fourth appendage can be read as either a downturned head or the second arm reaching upward.

The artist’s figures are often posed awkwardly, seeming off balance or in the midst of an ungraceful motion, and this ungainliness lends the work personality and a warm, human vulnerability.

The overall dimensions are 87 x 99 x 46 in., 1000 lb. (221 x 251.5 x 116.8 cm., 453.6 kg.).

The sculpture is "definitely about stretch and compression; about reach and contraction."

Joel Shapiro