Danese/Corey Gallery, New York.

01/06/17 - Artist Deborah Butterfield (USA, 1949) presents a series of ghost-horses of impeccable making at the Danese/Corey Gallery, in Chelsea, New York. Her approach to the animal is both emotional and perceptual.  

"Deborah Butterfield: New Sculpture"

Danese/Corey Gallery, New York.

In spite of the stillness of the sculptures, and the weight of the larger ones, it is undeniable that the spirit of the horse comes to life in these pieces.

Pine Forest, by Deborah Butterfield (2016)
Unique cast bronze with patina / Measures: 91 x 114 x 47.5 inches

As working material, Butterfield collected natural waste in Alaska and colored plastics in Iceland and Hawaii, which she later organized for her sculptures. These elements, saved from their tragic end, are now part of the natural beauty of the animal. The plastic pieces were used as found, while the natural materials underwent a different process.

Kokai, by Deborah Butterfield

Unique cast bronze with patina / Measures: 38.75 x 47 x 12 inches

Orenji, by Deborah Butterfield (2016)

Unique cast bronze with patina / Measures: 25.75 x 26.5 x 10 inches

Since 1979 Butterfield uses molted bronce from the molds provided by the wooden pieces she recollects. These pieces are picked carefully, almost intuitively, to later give shape to the skeleton or the legs of the horse pictured in the artist's mind. It is very important to see the sculptures up close, to  fully understand that what we see are not wooden branches, but metal pieces skillfully treated with a patina by the artist.

"Deborah Butterfield: New Sculpture"

Danese/Corey Gallery, New York.

The intertwining of the branches not only trace the shape of the animal, but also create the feeling of muscles ready to produce movement. 

"Deborah Butterfield: New Sculpture"

Danese/Corey Gallery, New York.

Butterfield seeks to move away from the notion of the horse as an instrument of men, to portray a free creature in all of its splendor. The emotional line in these sculptures reminds us of Alberto Giacometti' lonely human figures.