Marzia Colonna: sculpture and collage
3 March to 15 April 2012
Marzia Colonna’s great talent is to take us directly into her subject matter. Whether she is working in collage or in sculpture, she is able to provoke an immediate and empathic response. We feel the emotions and physical sensations of being in that place. ‘I try to become a part of my subjects, animate and inanimate, and get to the essence of what they are,’ she says and, achieving that, she takes us with her.
Described by Adrian Hamilton (The Independent) as ‘some of her most exciting and pleasurable works,’ her collages capture the exceptional landscape of West Dorset with a zest and relish that creates a vision all her own. At the same time, her disciplined approach to collage underpins the work with a strong abstract quality of mark and pattern. Her collages are made entirely from paper painted beforehand. “When I work with collage I feel I am sculpting with paper and painting at the same time. It is fast and furious work; holding on to and trying to replicate the memory of the landscape that I have experienced, not just visually in its form and colour, but also in the impact created in my mind by the wind, sun, rain, smells and sounds”.
Colonna’s sculpture is at the heart of her work as an artist. Roger Berthoud writes, ‘Her sculpture is based on the human form, which she uses to express what we all share as human beings. It fascinates her that wherever we come from, whatever our race or religion, we feel the same basic needs and desires. She sees the body as the vessel of human emotion, touching in its combination of fragility and strength. Many of her bronzes, and indeed of her paper sculptures, reveal the tenderness with which she views her fellow human beings.’ (Colour and Form, Sculpture and Collage Marzia Colonna 2002)
Her sculptural work captures a moment of alertness. Man and Ball is the moment of balance and perfection which cannot last. In Man and Bull it is a moment of confrontation. Bull is simply a moment of being, resolute and strong. Riding the Fish on the other hand makes the viewer feel the exhilaration, the movement and the power the figure feels, riding the fish. Colonna works intuitively, reaching for the sensations she wants to communicate, with a lifetime of craft, technique and experience to call upon.
Marzia Colonna was born in Pisa in 1951. She entered art school aged 12 and continued to study at the Academia di Belle Arti in Florence. In 1970 she moved with her husband Robert Montagu to England. Her first solo exhibition in London was in 1979. Since then she has exhibited regularly. Her work is in many collections in Europe, the United States and Australasia. Since 1985 she has lived and worked in West Dorset. A major sculpture was purchased in 2001 by the Jerwood foundation and in 2002 by Newby Hall sculpture collection. Public commissions include a crucifix for Salisbury Cathedral (2002), St Adhelm for Sherborne Abbey (2004), Mermaid for Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (2007) and Kite Flyer for Winchester City (2009). She is represented in London by the Hart Gallery. This is her first exhibition with Sladers Yard.
West Bay Road, West Bay, Bridport, Dorset DT6 4EL t: 01308 459511
Gallery open: Weds – Sat 10 – 5pm, Sundays & Bank Hols 12 – 5pm
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