LAWRENCE
SHERATON
The Human Condition sculpture series
"Seeking Balance"
Could the secret to life be balance? When we think of balance we often think of something that is stationary. Nothing is really static, the mountains move over time, the earth is constantly revolving around its axis and the sun. We all live and die.
Balance is achieved while things are in motion.
The earth is said to be in dynamic equilibrium. When seeking balance, dynamic equilibrium is likely the best one can achieve. Time moves everything forward creating a dynamic energy no one can avoid.
Achieving internal balance is exceedingly difficult to do. We all have internal desires, generous and selfish impulses, dreams that inspire us and realities that constrain us.
Needs, desires, friendships, family, goals, obligations, fun, pressure, pleasure, pain, passions, work - all these elements of life and more keep us constantly in motion.
This sculpture embodies many aspects of the human condition:
Introspection
Time
Internal Drives/External Pressures
Fear
Life/Death
The search for truth/ethical understanding
To read more about ethical understanding, visit: EthicsDefined.org
"Polarity"
Polarity is the embodiment of the human condition. People have good and bad impulses; they act in kind and harmful ways. They treat each other with fairness and unfairly.
Nobody is as bad as their worst deed, and nobody is a good as their best deed. As a species, we advance the most when we seek truth through greater knowledge and understanding. Conversely, we regress when we are constrained by ignorance and fear.
Polarity shows an individual with the capacity to fly but who is firmly rooted to the ground. He is looking up and struggling to break free of his roots. There are cracks in the roots; the result of much effort and strain. These cracks represent hope and the will to break free of ignorance and fear.
Do you want to break free from your roots and soar to new heights? Start with ethical understanding.
"Shedding Skin"
Who are you?
Are you a different person in different settings?
Have you had a paradigm shift that has expanded your previous understanding? Is your old worldview too restrictive?
Would you like to be forgiven for past sins? Have you done your time, paid your debt, reached a higher level of understanding?
Are you seeking a clean slate?
Shedding Skin is the embodiment of these ideas and more.
"Harm / Care"
You are trying to help... but are you?
Good intensions are important, but more important is understanding and effectiveness.
Sculptures in the works
Polarity and Seeking Balance are just the first two sculptures in
The Human Condition series. Additional sculptures to be built include:
- Swan Dive
- Divergence
- Reaching Out
- Perspective
- The Struggle
- Out of Time
Seeking Balance
Black granite base: 53.5" x 24.25" (L x W)
Aluminum poles (75): 12" H
Man Seeking Balance: 7.25" H
Polished Nickel Plated, PolyJet HD base material
Polarity
Rock: 7" x 4" x 4.5" (W x H x D)
Man: 5.75" high x 14.5" wingspan
Copper impregnated Forton-MG coated, Nylon 12 base material
Shedding Skin
11.75" H x 4.5" W x 2.5" D
Copper impregnated Forton-MG coated, ABS base material
Harm / Care
Wood: 9" H x 9" W x 3.5" D
Versions of these sculptures can be built at any scale using a variety of materials.
The Human Condition
The Human Condition is a series of symbolic sculptures intended to engage the viewer emotionally and intellectually.
Art is a means of communication that works best on an emotional level. I work with the human form because it is the most emotive form available. The human form transcends time and culture in a way few other forms can.
I believe that great art should transcend time and culture. Art should be emotionally engaging, conceptually interesting, and skillfully executed. Art should communicate an idea, something that makes the viewer think, something that makes them question, something that engages them. In order to do this, it has to be approachable. If art is too abstract, it loses its emotional connection. If it is too simple, it cannot engage the viewer emotionally; so a balance is required.
The Human Condition sculpture series compliments my work on Ethics. I have published a book on ethics online. It is free for all viewers to read and comment on. My goal is to promote greater knowledge and understanding of ethics. EthicsDefined.org allows users to learn about ethics and engage with me in a dialog towards greater ethical understanding.
I seek to engage people through my books and his art. Much of the proceeds from the sales of my sculptures go to promoting my work on ethics. The sculptures presented on this site are available for sale. Commissioned work is welcome.
- Lawrence Sheraton