Saturday 4 December 2010

Hidden Faces Research:

 A selection of very creepy veiled statues.  I realised after watching 'The Haunting' that there was a bust in Eleanor's room that was smiling meekly under this veil of stone.  There's something incredibly unsettling and unnatural about this almost angelic face being hidden under a veil.  Why does it need to be hidden and how on earth do the sculptors make the veil look so fluid?







I think it's because they're usually associated with graveyards and the three images above would definitely indicate that.  Also, after watching the episode of Doctor Who called 'Blink' I almost definitely find the idea of angelic looking statues creepy as the statues in that steal your life when you're literally not looking.

4 comments:

  1. These sculptures are just amazing! :) I can see why they are so creepy..its this mystery hidden under the veil

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  2. These are wonderfully unpleasant - and I think the issue of the veil is that, as an item of clothing (like a door) it presupposes two states - undisclosed and disclosed - therefore it is an imminent object - something that implies an alteration or an 'about-to-be'... the second image down is just horrible, and the fourth is truly the stuff of nightmares. If you can find any video content about the weeping angels from Dr Who, I suggest you 'group blog' it... classic episode that, and Dr Who is infamous for playing with the uncanny; check out the controversy from the 70s, with the episode about the Autons, with the faceless policeman and the mannequins...

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  3. The first sculpture is called Veiled Rebbeca, bride of Isaac, in her wedding dress, and it's from an Italian sculptor named Giovanni Maria Benzoni. It's very beautiful, every detail of that statue, the illusion of the fabric which is the attraction, it is breath taking. Second one is from Antonio Corradini...I'll stop naming the sculptors of the sculptures here... I don't find them creepy at all, I could look at them all day and night if I wasn't a being that had to sleep, eat and move lol. I guess when it's put into a certain situation or theme, it can give you that vibe of creeepiness and haunting feeling. However, it's a shame that films/dramas or any type of media that would influence such beautiful creations to be portrayed in that manner because they are really just amazing artwork that masters of it have put so much graphic diligence towards. Very pleasant and admirable. Though, each to their own.

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  4. Wow, thank you! I definitely agree that they're beautiful pieces of art. I can't comprehend how they would craft something like that but I suppose it's the idea of the face being hidden that makes them unsettling but as you said, to each their own :)

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