228. Androgyne III. Magdalena Abakanowicz. 1985 CE Burlap, resin, wood, nails and string.

• Form
  • The figure sits on a low stretcher of wooden legs, substituting for human legs
  • The figure is hollowed out, just a shell
  • The figure is placed to be seen in the round: the complete back and the hollow front are visible.
  • The pose suggests meditation and/or perseverance
  • Sexual characteristics are minimized to increase the universality of the figure; hence the title Androgyne, or an androgynous figure, one that is neither male nor female.
• Materials
  • The work is made of hardened fiber casts from plaster molds
  • The hardened fiber has the appearance of crinkled human skin set in earth tones
• Context
  • Magdalena Abankanowicz was a Polish artist who endured WWII, the Nazi occupation of Poland, and the Stainist rule
  • Since 1974, the artist had been making similar figures, often without heads or arms, in large groups or singly.