Gazing upon us, the Eyes Sculpture stands as a testament to artistic expression. Here before this artwork, we’re about to explore its captivating story. This sculpture, created by Louise Bourgeois, invites us to delve into the depths of perception.
Louise Bourgeois began as a painter and engraver. Later in her career, she became a sculptor in the late 1940s. Born in Paris, she studied art at several schools. These included the École du Louvre, Académie des Beaux-Arts, Académie Julian, and Atelier Fernand Léger.
In 1938, Bourgeois moved to the United States. She continued her studies at the Art Students League in New York. During the late 1940s, she made prints at Atelier 17 in New York. There she befriended artists Le Corbusier, Joan Miró, and Yves Tanguy.
From about 1947 to 1949, she produced her first sculptures. Her imagery was influenced by Surrealism. This movement attracted her attention when many European artists came to New York during World War II. In 1949, the Peridot Gallery in New York exhibited these works for the first time.
Her sculptures of the 1940s featured elongated, carved wood totems. These were abstract in shape and painted in a uniform color. In the 1960s, her work expanded in size. It was executed in bronze, carved stone, and rubber latex. Bourgeois’s unique style uses personal forms. These anthropomorphic forms are charged with sexual allusions.
The Eyes Sculpture is a large marble work. It shows the persistence of Surrealist iconography in her later pieces. The eye is a recurring motif in Surrealism. It served as a symbol for perception and female anatomy. The sculpture features two polished balls. These sit atop a marble block that resembles a house. Each ball has a carved circular opening at its center. Together, they suggest a bold abstract head. They also evoke a female torso or the union of woman and home.
Bourgeois originally created Eyes in Italy in 1972. She abandoned the work initially. In 1982, she recreated and reworked the piece. Eyes measures 73 x 65 x 45 inches. It is one of Bourgeois’s largest marble works. It has appeared in many publications worldwide.
Simply put, Eyes consists of two spheres on a rectangular block. The drilled centers create a strong, gazing presence. Parts of the body have been central to Bourgeois’s sculpture since the 1940s. The isolation of body parts allows abstraction. It maintains the emotional tension she explores.
Another sculpture featuring eyes is by Tony Tasset. One version is in St. Louis, Missouri. Another larger version is in Dallas, Texas. Tasset’s Eye is a replica of his own eye. He wanted to create something recognizable.
Consider also the ancient practice of inlaying eyes in sculptures. Ancient Greeks used copper, glass, or shell. Egyptians used alabaster, rock crystal, and copper. The Chinese used obsidian beads. These techniques brought life to sculptures for centuries.
As we conclude our exploration of the Eyes Sculpture, consider the enduring power of the gaze. This artwork invites us to reflect on perception, identity, and the human condition.