ludwig mies van der rohe: Marc Sijan figures

In the last of my posts on Hyperrealist sculpture (there are many more artists, but enough already) I thought I’d take a look at the work of Marc Sijan, a Milwaukee-based artist (shown on the right, behind one of his sculptures). His figures, though life-size and similar to the work of Duane Hanson for instance (they also feature contemporary archetypal American characters), they are often imbued with an edge of dark humour that makes them rather different. Based on individuals Sijan knows well, his faces and figures capture movement and human emotion, as well as the minute details of individual appearance. Although the artist draws inspiration from the idealized anatomy of classical sculptures, such as Michelangelo’s David, his contemporary interpretation of the human form illustrates the gritty imperfections of average people.

For Ever

Whereas his colleagues tend to express a kind of static existence, Sijan tries to capture a life force in full swing (apart from one that features a body on a mortuary trolley).

Pre-existing Conditions

"I am seeking to freeze motion rather than suggest life," he notes. "The sculpture appears passive, but there is so much going on inside."
"The human figure is one of the most challenging subjects to work with," he said. "I am working to develop a niche of my own where I can develop a believable figurative sculpture that works not only on a visual level, but on a deeper more emotional level."
Sijan breathes life into his sculptures through a laborious six-month process. His method is distinct and exacting. First, he works from live models, to produce a negative mould in plaster, and sculpts the interior with special tools and a magnifying glass to assure accurate detail. Then, he casts the figure in a polyester resin. To achieve realistic flesh tones he applies 25 coats of paint and then adds varnish.
"The goal is to achieve depth, yet translucency," he says. "It can't be flat. The chest and throat texture is different from that of the arms, legs and stomach. Facial skin differs from that on the torso."
"It’s interesting, this fascination, the human form is the oldest artistic subject - it was the first subject known to man. We just keep interpreting it, over and over."