Gib Singleton
Ur
Bronze
15h x 6w x 6d
Edition of 99
Ur is the name given to the first Homo erectus discovered by anthropologists. He was the first guy to walk upright - the missing link'. That sculpture was commissioned by...
Ur is the name given to the first Homo erectus discovered by anthropologists. He was the first guy to walk upright - the missing link'. That sculpture was commissioned by a guy in Westport that I met through Alexander Calder.
Sandy Calder was one of my heroes. I loved his work, and he was also a friend. In fact, the day I met this guy, we were sitting in Calder's little barn where he had these great pieces working, talking over a glass of wine. While we were talking, Sandy made a little rooster piece out of a coffee can.
Afterward, his friend came into my studio in Westport, and said, 'I want you, because of your mind and how you think, to make me the first man. That was Homo erectus, and his name was Ur.' He gave me the name. He must have been an anthropologist or archeologist. He said, 'Think about it and see what you come up with.'
So I thought about it a great deal. Because this is a pretty important piece of history here that I'm making. When man stands up - this is the first time, right? - he locks his knees, pushes the legs back behind him, and he closes himself and realizes for the first time that he's naked. So he wraps a piece of leather around himself and covers himself.
And he also realizes he can communicate now. Prior to this, being an animal, he couldn't communicate. But he's no longer an animal. So he stretches his hand out to greet someone. To meet someone. To become a social person. That's the sign of being social - extending your hand and reaching out to someone.
You also notice his head is larger. That's because as you get older, you use parts of your body that you normally don't use, so they get larger. And the parts you don't use, they eventually go away. So Ur starts to use his brain, instead of just his body, and his brain and head get bigger and the body gets more fragile.
It's a beautiful piece, but the guy I created it for died in a racing accident in Florida right after he commissioned it, so I never poured it. I carried it around as a wax for years until Paul Zueger finally had it cast. It's one of my favorite little pieces.
- GIB SINGLETON
Sandy Calder was one of my heroes. I loved his work, and he was also a friend. In fact, the day I met this guy, we were sitting in Calder's little barn where he had these great pieces working, talking over a glass of wine. While we were talking, Sandy made a little rooster piece out of a coffee can.
Afterward, his friend came into my studio in Westport, and said, 'I want you, because of your mind and how you think, to make me the first man. That was Homo erectus, and his name was Ur.' He gave me the name. He must have been an anthropologist or archeologist. He said, 'Think about it and see what you come up with.'
So I thought about it a great deal. Because this is a pretty important piece of history here that I'm making. When man stands up - this is the first time, right? - he locks his knees, pushes the legs back behind him, and he closes himself and realizes for the first time that he's naked. So he wraps a piece of leather around himself and covers himself.
And he also realizes he can communicate now. Prior to this, being an animal, he couldn't communicate. But he's no longer an animal. So he stretches his hand out to greet someone. To meet someone. To become a social person. That's the sign of being social - extending your hand and reaching out to someone.
You also notice his head is larger. That's because as you get older, you use parts of your body that you normally don't use, so they get larger. And the parts you don't use, they eventually go away. So Ur starts to use his brain, instead of just his body, and his brain and head get bigger and the body gets more fragile.
It's a beautiful piece, but the guy I created it for died in a racing accident in Florida right after he commissioned it, so I never poured it. I carried it around as a wax for years until Paul Zueger finally had it cast. It's one of my favorite little pieces.
- GIB SINGLETON