Allonge, Female, Heroic, 2016
Richard MacDonald
Bronze
127" x 18" x 27"
Richard MacDonald American, b. 1946
Sissone Heroic, 2013
Bronze
121" x 70" x 30"
LIF018NU
Further images
After devoting more than twenty years to the perfection of the human form in bronze, Richard MacDonald focused on a series of sculptures based on his work with dancers from the Royal Ballet. The studies were designed to be the groundwork for the creation of a monumental Grand Coda. In Sissone, there is a flame-like quality to the beautiful shape the dancer’s body takes in this position, which Richard MacDonald has captured in all its brilliance. Here the elegant lines of the dancer’s form, as perfected as she is, show the athleticism in her artistry and we are reminded of the essential perfection of the human form.
Sissone stands as one of the most elegant of Richard MacDonald’s Ballet works: elegant in the truest sense of the word, it expresses the refined grace of one of the world’s consummate classical dancers. When Richard MacDonald was studying the dancers of the Royal Ballet in London he was working with dancers of flawless technical prowess and highly developed artistic sensibilities. Sissone emerged from this creative period as a reflection of one great artist’s understanding of the artistry of the performer. In Heroic dimensions the inherent elegance of Sissone, with the delicate arching of the back, the graceful sweep of the curved arms, and the perfect extension of the outstretched leg, will be imposing. There is exhilaration to be felt in viewing this work – it is a moment of ideal beauty; physical, spiritual, and fleeting. Sissone is a reminder that human achievement can be dazzling, and we can trace exceptional physical accomplishments to a feeling that comes from the heart of the performer, and strikes a chord in our own.
