London Art@Site www.artatsite.com Emily Young Angel
Artist:

Emily Young

Title:

Angel

Year:
2003
Adress:
St Paul's Churchyard
Website:
self-confidence, strength and sympathy
This artwork Angel by Emily Young has the potential to say meaningful things about the role of the European tradition because it combines elements from this tradition creatively.
On top of a number of pillars a face is superimposed. The eyes, nose and mouth are surrounded by coarse hair. The face radiates self-confidence, strength and sympathy.
To me, a column is (and an array of colomns are) is an important supporting element of a building with a social or religious function. By putting a face on a pedestal, I am thinking of the people who shaped this social or religious function.
An array of colums is aesthetically strong. To me, a face is the strongest element to add emotion and meaning to an artwork.
By Theo, www.artatsite.com

The European
Shape
On top of a number of pillars a face is superimposed. The eyes, nose and mouth are surrounded by coarse hair. The face radiates self-confidence, strength and sympathy.
To me, a column is an important supporting element of a building with a social or religious function. By putting a face on a pedestal, I am thinking of the people who shaped this social or religious function.
Material
The face is carved out of stone. The eyes, cheeks and mouth are smoothed and polished. The nose is slightly violated, the chin is notched, the cheeks are damaged. A portion of the face is still hidden in the stone. The left and right side-head are partly missing and the hair is schematically carved in the material but not cut yet.
It seems as if the face is still in the making. Also, it seems that the face is old, damaged by time and found again after centuries. Is this a face that is in progress or is it placed back on the pedestal after centuries?
Location
Multiple columns stand on a square near the church. Therefore, a comparison with columns of the church is easy made. The question is whether the artist intended it.
Meaning
This work has the potential to say meaningful things about the role of the European tradition because it combines elements from this tradition creatively.
By Theo, www.artatsite.com

Compared with other artworks
Everyone knows intuitively that an Egyptian obelisk (Paris, picture 1, more information) is about human strength, intelligence, connecting earth and heaven. It is not necessary to delve into the vanity and the ubiquitous role of religion during the creation of the artwork.

This needle (Paris, Bergeret Pierre, picture 2, more information) concerns obviously the role of the ruler, his victories and longing for immortality that the artwork becomes complacent and loses sight of the social context. The artistic qualities of the artwork have a serving character or are underexposed.

Eric Orr shows with the artwork Prime Matter (Los Angeles, picture 3, more information) that humans control nature; lights the fire when and where humans wants. There is a pillar of natural stone and there is natural fire. This is a powerful and great artwork. The only thing; to me, fire is a too fierce primary power to be part of subtle art.

Iosa Ghini Massimo has made with Quattro Punti Per Una Torre (Milan, picture 4, more information) a significant, eye-catching artwork. The monumental form opens itself careful and shows the tingle interior. The sculpture stands in a courtyard of a university. Should the university recognize the desire to be strong and still be open, vulnerable and also demonstrate vitality?

Nike 89 made by Wieland Foester (Berlin, picture 5, more information) is not a perfect angel, but rather a touchingly sweet person. You see wings, the sculpture is silvered, so it must be a special person. At the same time the rough finish and strange shapes make it clear that it’s human to make mistakes.

The Sounding Sculpture (Chicago, picture 6, more information) is an artwork with slender lines that make up a sort of fence. These lines make sounds when they touch each other.
Due to the location of this artwork (in the middle of a garden) and because they form together a corner, I do not quite understand what it means. Perhaps it would be more interesting on the edge of a garden, to say something about some kind of separation between public and private sphere.
To me, it’s entirely unclear how the sound of metal pipes relates to a garden.
The artwork can be made more interesting by referring to trees, such as Grove does this.

In the Eye of the Storm by Krivanek and Breaux (Los Angeles, picture 7, more information) is a mysterious artwork. The straight chrome tubes are standing in rows and meet each other around a round shape. The round shape has letters and numbers. This artwork is only understandable with an explanation.
Art@Site makes no comments after reading explanations. It’s my opinion that an artwork must have a sufficient ability to express itself, and is recognizable as an artwork even without an explanation.

Grove (Tokyo, picture 8, more information) is an artwork with pointed rods that somewhat resemble trees, mainly because they are standing cant. A city and a forest can feel like each other's opposites culture and nature). Balsley brings them together.
I love artworks with recognition, and especially when they call for meanings and emotions. Otherwise something happens like with Sounding Sculpture, which doesn’t refer to a concrete object and won’t lead to any emotion.
By Theo, www.artatsite.com

bewustzijn, kracht en sympathie
Dit kunstwerk Angel van Emily Young kan betekenisvolle dingen zeggen over de rol van de Europese traditie omdat elementen uit deze traditie op creatieve manier gecombineerd zijn.
Bovenop de kolommen is een gezicht geplaatst. De ogen, neus en mond zijn omringend door golvende haren. Het gezicht straalt bewustzijn, kracht en sympathie uit.
Voor mij is een kolom (of een kolommenrij) een belangrijk steunend element van een gebouw met een sociale of religieuze functie. Door een gezicht te plaatsen op een zuil, denk ik aan personen die deze sociale of religieuze functie tot stand hebben gebracht.
Een kolommenrij is esthetisch sterk. Een gezicht is volgens mij het sterkste middel om een emotie en een betekenis te geven aan een kunstwerk.
Door Theo, www.artatsite.com

Vergelijking met andere werken
The Sounding Sculpture (Chicago, afbeelding 6,meer informatie) is een kunstwerk met ragfijne lijnen die tezamen een soort hek vormen. Deze lijnen maken geluid doordat zij elkaar raken.
Vanwege de locatie van dit kunstwerk (midden in een tuin) en doordat zij tezamen een hoek vormen, snap ik niet goed wat ermee bedoeld wordt. Ik zou het interessanter hebben gevonden aan de rand van een tuin, om iets te zeggen over een soort van scheiding tussen de openbare en de privé sfeer.
Het is mij niet geheel duidelijk hoe het geluid van metalen buizen relateert aan een tuin.
Het kunstwerk kan interessanter gemaakt worden door te verwijzen naar bomen, zoals Grove dit doet.

In the Eye of the Storm van Krivanek and Breaux (Los Angeles, afbeelding 7,meer informatie) is een geheimzinnig kunstwerk. De rechte chromen buizen staan in rijen en komen uit op een ronde vorm. In de ronde vorm staan letters en cijfers. Dit kunstwerk is alleen begrijpelijk bij een toelichting.
Art@Site raadpleegt geen toelichting voordat een essay o.d. geschreven wordt. Ik vind dat een kunstwerk ook zonder toelichting voldoende uitdrukkingsvermogen moet hebben, om herkenbaar te kunnen zijn als kunstwerk.

Grove (Tokyo, afbeelding 8,meer informatie) is een kunstwerk met puntige staven die enigszins lijken op bomen, vooral doordat zij schuin staan. Een stad en een bos kunnen voelen als elkaars tegenover gestelden (cultuur en natuur). Balsley brengt hen tezamen.
Ik houdt van een kunstwerk dat enige herkenning geeft, waardoor betekenissen en emoties gegeven worden. Anders gebeurt er iets zoals Sounding Sculpture, dat niet verwijst naar een concreet object en bij mij niet leidt tot enige emotie.
Door Theo, www.artatsite.com

www.acetrust.org:
Emily Young works in a traditional free carving method of stone sculpting. She is best known for her distinctive angel heads and discs. Of the angels she has said, ‘The looks on the faces of the angels are not planned as such, they arrive and surprise me often with their softness and sadness, and strength and calm. But like all good angels, they have a certain graveness, an objectivity, a touch of the infinite, and a certain compassion.’ Of her discs she has said, ‘The discs, lunar or solar, are also like angels, heavenly bodies, stars, whirling in dark space, carrying information about our origins and throwing out light to us.’ ‘Emily Young’s work is characterized by the highly individual way in which it combines strength with gentleness. Her sculptures are massive, often chthonic, but their contours are rounded as if moulded by a lover’s hand rather than chiseled out by steel.’ Louis de Bernieres (novelist) Emily Young has exhibited widely and her public installations include the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, St Paul’s Churchyard (London), Salisbury Cathedral, and La Defence (Paris).

www.woottonanddawe.com:
This project involved the construction of 5 large stone columns in a central London location.

Polly Tikkle Productions:
Emily Young is the artist who sculpted the five angels who overlook St Paul's Courtyard, currently the site of the Occupy London Stock Exchange protest. Here she speaks about her sculptures as she sees them in a new light.