STOIC conceived in 2018 bronze height: 220 cm (7’ 3”)
cast as an edition of 4 + 1 Artist’s Proof
Exhibited:
37 Conduit Street, London, January 2019 - June 2020
The latest in a series of works by Breuer-Weil to contemplate the history of philosophy this full fgure wears the scars of its production like medals of honour to the art of creation. The surface, made initially in plaster before being cast into bronze, is inscribed with aphorisms and maxims belonging to the artist and many famous thinkers from antiquity to present day. The legs connect the mass of the torso to the heavy feet as if propelling its existence directly out of the earth.
“Stoic is a towering bronze fgure that exemplifes human endurance. I wanted to create a fgure that appeared like a timeless weathered totem, who has armoured himself against the challenges of life but is also awake with needs and longings.
The surface is flled with pictograms and short sentences such as ‘I want, I am’. This is a re-interpretation of Descartes’ famous dictum ‘I think therefore I am’. Stoic is the ffth work in my Philosopher series and the only full fgure; the others are busts. The fgure is raw life and energy. In the process of its creation I smashed up large sheets of plaster and reassembled them, Stoic is like a human Phoenix rising from the wreckage of modern life.”
