“the images stand firm, are both weighty
objects and symbols. they have been
worn, used, weathered and survived.”
elizabeth ives
american, born in 1942
lives in boston
marathoner sentinel #13, 1994
oil and acrylic modeling paste on paper
mounted on mat board
ives derived her imagery from the leg bones of
a runner. both sculpted and painted, these limbs
are at once emerging from and receding into the
traditional “image space” – coming and going,
leading and guarding. “it is a metaphor for
human resilience,” she has said. as a bostonian
who has witnessed many historic marathons,
she notes: “ultimately, the paintings for me are
heroic images which invite close scrutiny as well
as direct confrontation.”
museum of fine arts, boston
