The Wonder of Hyperrealism
These sculptures get under my skin
A Girl, Ron Mueck
“A Girl”, 3.56 ft x 16.5 ft x 4.4 ft (The Modern)
London-based sculptor Ron Mueck, formerly a model maker and puppeteer for children's television and films, has been creating fine art sculptures since 1996. Using resin, fiberglass, silicone, and many other materials, Mueck constructs hyperrealistic likenesses of human beings while playing with scale. The detailed sculptures are captivating when viewed up close, as they may be many times larger or smaller than expected. (The Atlantic)
See
Mueck's sculpture responds to the minute details of the human body, playing with scale to produce engrossing visual images (a style known as hyperrealism). Mueck spends a long time, sometimes more than a year, creating each sculpture. His subject matter is deeply private and is often concerned with people's unspoken thoughts and feelings.
“Couple Under An Umbrella”
“Youth”
“Woman with Shopping”
"Wild Man"
Say
The hyperrealism of Mueck’s work allows us to look closer at a stranger than we would ever be able to in real life. How do you think this intimacy affects the viewer?
Study each sculpture. Do you think Mueck’s work celebrates life? Why or why not?
How do you see scale impacting the effect of his work on the viewer?
Do
Mueck often sculpts people he knows. Imagine sitting for a friend to sculpt you. How do you think it would feel to see yourself sculpted hyper-realistically? Do you ever wonder how you would see yourself if you met on the street?
"MaskII"
Look at your face in a magnifying mirror. Imagine representing each pock and follicle as Mueck has done. Be amazed!
Watch this short retrospective:
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About the Hans Ronald Mueck:
Mueck allowed his friend and colleague, the photographer Gautier Deblonde, to film him making his new sculptures
Mueck (/ˈmjuːɛk/ or /ˈmuːɪk/; born 1958) is an Australian sculptor working in the United Kingdom.
Ron Mueck has earned international acclaim for his hyperrealistic sculptures of humans at scales ranging from smaller-than-life to enormous. At the 2001 Venice Biennale, viewers encountered an arresting, massive crouching child, Untitled (Boy) (1999). Another work, Dead Dad (1996-97), depicts a three-foot version of the artist’s father lying palms up on the floor. Whether oversized or miniature, Mueck’s uncannily lifelike sculptures—frozen in situations both mundane and strange—explore universal issues such as loneliness, vulnerability, and death. A former puppeteer and model maker for film and television, Mueck makes his highly detailed sculptures by hand using fiberglass, silicone, and resin. Hailed as one of the most important figurative sculptors of his generation, Mueck has exhibited his work in London, Sydney, New York, and Ottawa. He was the 14th artist in residence at the National Gallery in London, and his works are in the permanent collection at the Tate. (Artsy)
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