The Traditional Future

Is there any redeeming value in all those free standing figures and forms in bronze, stone, wood and marble that inhabit countless museums, galleries and public places? Those so called traditional sculptures are so often dismissed and ignored by the contemporary artist as mere objects or relics from the past which have little or no place in the new intellectual, postmodern art world with its high-tech, multimedia orientation that has little or no room for the traditional past. The belief is that these icons of antiquity simply exist to serve the historian, art history student, or the unenlightened public looking for "real" art.

Hundreds if not thousands of these traditional sculptures remain all over the world. These three dimensional works were also once considered innovative, and held a prominent position in the art world with respect, honor and dignity attributed to them. These works often represented the focus on self-expression and adoration of the human form, both male and female. They represented a search for an ideal beauty or a common language of communication. They represented the celebration of life depicted through the physicality of various materials. They represented the highly developed skill, feelings and emotions of the artist who created them. They depicted narratives, allegories and abstract imagery. They represented the transfer of ideas and thoughts, feelings and emotions; as well as the three dimensional experience of subtle changes as one moved around these works. All this was often an attempt at reaching an aspect of perfection through self-expression. It is not to say that all these "traditional" values and concerns should be seen as superior to the contemporary, intellectual concerns.

We can't hold back "progress" or change. What we can, and should do however, is not ignore the vast legacy and richness of these past works. They have a great deal to offer and to teach us. The values that gave these works life will always remain inherent in these sculptures. They will always be there to uncover for those who choose to delve beyond the closed doors or barriers of the labels of tradition. As we move forward we simply have to keep our eyes and minds open and maybe, just maybe, we shall rediscover the wealth and values that lie behind those "traditional" doors.

Wolfgang P. Krol
Studio Arts
Concordia University

l'Avenir traditionel

Que valent toutes ces silhouettes et ces formes de bronze, de pierre, de bois et de marbre sur pied qui meublent d’inombrables musées, galeries et places publiques? Ces sculptures "traditionnelles" si souvent rejetées et ignorées par l’artiste contemporain.

Ces oeuvres tridimensionnelles étaient, elles aussi, autrefois perçues comme innovatrices et figuraient dans le monde des arts avec respect, honneur et dignité. Ces oeuvres représentaient souvent comme point de mire l’expression et l’adoration de la forme humaine, tant masculine que féminine. Elles marquaient la recherche d’un idéal de beauté; elles dépeignaient des narratifs, des allégories et des images abstraites.

Ceci ne veut pas dire que toutes ces valeurs et ces intêrets "traditionnels" doivent être perçus comme supérieurs aux préoccupations intellectuelles contemporaines. Cependant, nous ne devons pas ignorer l’immense héritage et la richesse de ces oeuvres du passé, et peut-être bien nous redécouvrirons la richesse et les valeurs qui se retrouvent derrières ces portes de la "tradition."

Wolfgang P. Krol
Studio Arts
Concordia University