1.Immediate Response
This reminded me of Where the Wild Things Are immediately. The scale of the three limps compared to the table is really impressive. I think it’s interesting that there are two reptile looking arms and a human hand. The ornate table is interesting, the scales on the leg and the carvings on the table have an interesting similarity between them. I also think it’s interesting that the artist chose to use a human hand and not a leg, I also thought it was interesting that the scale of the hand is larger compared to the reptile legs.
2. Objective Description
The sculpture has 4 distinct parts. A dark wooden table with ornate carvings sits on a tiled floor against a white wall. On top of the table is a plaster reptilian looking leg it’s large and the foot stands on the table. On the right side of the table another reptilian looking leg made of white plaster, it looks like it almost protrudes from the side of the table. On the other side of the table there is a large plaster human hand with its knuckles on the floor and its palm perpendicular to the floor.
3. Technical Decisions
The use of the dark hard wooden ornate table as the so called ‘base’ of the sculpture has a strong contrast with the white plaster used in the rest of the sculpture. The detail throughout the sculpture through both mediums is consistently intricate. The title Wildlife is interesting especially with the collection of a table, two reptilian looking plaster legs, and a human hand. The human hand rests against the table with its palm facing inward.
4. The Work in the World
The piece relates mainly to animals and humans alike, putting a reptile leg above a human hand, both made of the same material. It’s interesting that they chose reptilian looking legs because reptiles hatch from eggs juxtapose with a mammal, a human hand to be exact. The table looks old, which is interesting, it could easily be a valuable antique. The so-called wildlife is placed on an old well-built table.
5. The Story it Tells
The piece, called Wildlife, places human and reptile limbs with the same weight within the piece. Wildlife seems to conquer the manmade in this piece with the reptile leg assertively placed on the antique carved table. The placement of the reptile leg above the human hand seems to place the reptile above the human hand metaphorically. This seems to place humans as a part of wildlife and does not place as at the top.