Here figuration almost vanishes. A long, low marble form reclines on a black stand, its body so eroded and dissolved that limbs survive only as faint swells and hollows, voids pierced clean through where contour once held. Hand-carved from white marble, the surface shifts between polished passages and rawer, weathered ones, as though the figure were melting into landscape. The title is the work itself, the moment when contours dissolve, Claessens's principle of the unfinished pushed to its furthest, most poetic edge. A unique, horizontal work that captures dissolution in the act, the body becoming pure gesture in stone.
Eva Claessens (Belgium, 1971) is a contemporary artist celebrated for her exploration of the human figure through painting, sculpture, and printmaking. Her work captures emotions and sensations of everyday life, often presented without framing to invite personal interpretation. Claessens has exhibited internationally, with recent shows in Los Angeles and Lisbon.
MarbleMarble is a rare and expensive metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized limestone. It has been used for centuries to create statues, decorative floors, and walls due to its translucency and durability. Marble is ideal for both free-standing statues and relief sculptures. When carving, the material is chiseled away in small increments to achieve the desired form.
Here figuration almost vanishes. A long, low marble form reclines on a black stand, its body so eroded and dissolved that limbs survive only as faint swells and hollows, voids pierced clean through where contour once held. Hand-carved from white marble, the surface shifts between polished passages and rawer, weathered ones, as though the figure were melting into landscape. The title is the work itself, the moment when contours dissolve, Claessens's principle of the unfinished pushed to its furthest, most poetic edge. A unique, horizontal work that captures dissolution in the act, the body becoming pure gesture in stone.
Eva Claessens (Belgium, 1971) is a contemporary artist celebrated for her exploration of the human figure through painting, sculpture, and printmaking. Her work captures emotions and sensations of everyday life, often presented without framing to invite personal interpretation. Claessens has exhibited internationally, with recent shows in Los Angeles and Lisbon.
There is a deep investigation around each piece. I always paint from real models.
- Eva Claessens
Eva Claessens is an internationally acclaimed artist whose prolific career spans more than two decades. She engages us through the human body: Her passion and love for its power and fragility are masterfully displayed in her figurative art and nude paintings. Her innovative approach to art is further characterized by the way she transposes the theme of her 2-dimensional paintings into 3-dimensional sculptures, which she then uses as a fresh canvas. Through her work she succeeds in expressing the true union between man and woman and often reminds us of the beautiful oneness of our souls. Born in Belgium in 1971, she studied at several art academies in her native province of Antwerp. At the age of eighteen she moved to Florence (Italy) where she studied at the Academia Dell’Arte and worked at the art studio of Romano Stefanelli as a model and an artist. Her work took her to the USA, Jamaica, Israel, and more recently to India. During this time she perfected her use of different color techniques. She has held several individual exhibitions and participated in others all across Europe, South America, and Asia. Her work has been commissioned by private collections and international companies around the world. At present she lives and works in Uruguay, South America. (Artist website)
Sometimes known as Figurativism, figurative art refers to sculptures and paintings that are clearly or specifically derived from real objects, making them representational. The term figurative art is often used in contrast to abstract art. However, since the emergence of abstract art, figurative art has come to describe any form of modern art that has strong references to the real world or actual situations.