Graceful, Elegant Drawings and Sculptures by Grausman

Portraiture in sculpture has long reflected the aspects of the culture rather than synthesizing the individuality of the subject.  

The  Egyptians idealized portraits, typified by the bust of Queen Nefertiti, which transcends mortality and depicts the subject without imperfections — a sacred god-like form. 

Conversely, Roman sculpted portraits focused on honorific busts highlighting imperfections of flesh, portraying the subject realistically.  Known as veristic or naturalistic, this style continues to be practiced and  associated with portraiture.  

Artist Phillip Grausman breaks the confines of veracity in portraiture to, as he tells us, “… search for an essential distillation of sculptural form.” And it is his investigation of form, hidden geometry, and experimentation with various mediums that make Grausman’s recent exhibition at the Washington Art Association so compelling.

Upon entering “Philip Grausman: Sculpture and Drawings” at the Washington Art Association & Gallery in Washington, Conn.,  a colossal, pure white head, just shy of 9 feet tall, commands the entrance space of the gallery.  

“Mikey,” 1997-98, rendered in fiberglass evokes no emotion. There are no flaws in her skin, her eyes convey nothing. One feels no fellowship with the portrait, but there is an unsettling allure, a seduction to want to caress the work, to bathe in its monumentality and otherworldliness. 

Three intimate galleries of Grausman’s  work are on exhibit — heads, figures and drawings. Several of the drawings have not been shown before. The work is not arranged chronologically; a curatorial choice that enriches the viewing as one quickly grasps how Grausman’s voluptuously subtle drawings inform his sculpture. Executed in pencil, Grausman captures the essence of a nude with elegance and precision. Easily mistaken for Sumi-e brush stroke painting, it is his sensitivity toward line that Grausman transforms into bronze and stainless steel.

One portrait in bronze stands out as decidedly representational and perhaps jarringly unsentimental. The sculpture is of the actress Linda Hunt (“Linda Hunt,” 1985). Unlike the other heads,  she exhibits identifiable human qualities: pouting lips, puffy eyes.  On either side of the sculpture are two pencil drawings of Hunt, showing her in a seated position,  unguarded and relaxed.

A group of small female bronzes rests on pedestals in the third gallery. “Bending Figure,” 1984 a 16-inch sculpture of a woman bent at the waist, her right leg positioned in a ballet turnout, is endowed with elegance and grace. One feels as if they have looked through a keyhole to see an intimate moment of contemplation.

Grausman has often said that he views his large sculpture as a landscape. One can see the relationship to the elements of a landscape: slope, contour, a streamline horizon, the play of light reflecting off surfaces. Landscape in art helps us connect to the natural world in a way that is both comforting and accessible.  

Grausman’s heads do not necessarily connect us to humanity; rather they force us to think about a departure in portraiture that leaves representation behind and embraces a new ideal. 

The Washington Art Association & Gallery is at 4 Bryan Plaza, Washington Depot, Conn. “Philip Grausman: Sculpture & Drawings,” closes July 24.