Sorel Etrog b. 1933

Private Collection, California

For all his innovation in imagery, forms, and materials, and for all his close association with innovative artists of the literary world, such as Samuel Beckett, Etrog still had a profound respect for, and a thorough understanding of, the classical traditions of art from many cultures and different ages. Not surprisingly, therefore, he naturally turned to the marble quarries of Carrarra in Italy, where sculptors from before Michelangelo and after Henry Moore went to find the stone cut from that white mountain and to steep themselves in the aura of the long history of that unique place.

Carving stone is not molding wax or shaping clay, and it not only requires a different technique but a different sensibility. The reclining figure that Etrog chose to render in white marble is a complex one. The textures and finishes possible are explored in relation to the sinuous forms and the relative weights that the various elements of the piece deserve. In some areas we see a polished, smooth surface, in others a roughly corrugated surface.

The incidence of marble in Etrog’s production is rare, given its cost in time, materials, and its inability to be easily reproduced, as bronze can be. In this respect, this fine work is a paragon among Etrog’s works, and one that would add a note of grace to any environment.