Rowan Gillespie (continued) by Caro Sicking, Dutch Art Critic

Arrival

The departing group of Famine figures in Dublin is just the first part of the story. . For the other side of the ocean, Gillespie has conceived another sculpture which will represent the arrival of the group in Canada. Gillespie is still working on this group but they hold the promise to be just as breathtaking.

Stone

Although Rowan Gillespie is a bronze sculptor in heart and soul, stone appears throughout his oeuvre. He treats it with the same integrity and respect as the bronze. The stones often appear to have a symbolic function, expressed by the material. A lot of the time they are only slightly touched by the hand of the artist, to emphasise that they are not to be taken lightly.

Sculptures of Hate and Hope

In the series ‘Sculptures of Hate and Hope’ the stone either lifts the bronze, or crushes and captures it. The lifted bronze expresses hope. The figures are set free into the air. Even the sculpture named ‘Scream’ can be seen this way. The screaming figure is the lowest and unlikely to be heard by the intensely talking three above. And still there is hope that the scream might be heard. However, one wonders if the three arguing figures above are reasonable and co-operative. They can just as well be isolated and removed from common man by the gravity and self-importance of their positions. The Hope-sculptures are fluent, touchable and organic in form and composition.

The stones in the Hate-sculptures have the opposite effect. In ‘Victims of Hate’ the figures are captured within a small stone space. They look for a way out, but can’t seem to find it. They cling together in despair.

‘A Growth of Hate’ shows the stone outgrowing the bronze and weighing down on it heavily. Again, there is no escape for the bronze, no air, no freedom.

Like the Famine group the sculptures express strong and compassionate social concerns. They mirror society, its good and evil. They pose the questions we all need to ask ourselves now and then, about the wellbeing of our fellow man and about our own attitude to life.

Bronze casting

To be able to put all of your heart and soul into a sculpture you need not only to design and conceive it, but also to process it yourself. This is a very strong conviction of Rowan Gillespie’s. He does all the casting himself, even the extremely heavy bronzes, which carries a degree of risk. “The moment I have to stop casting, I have to stop working with bronze”, he says.

Bronze casting needs great concentration and discipline. Rowan Gillespie casts his bronze using the old block moulding method of lost wax casting. He uses this rather than the newer ceramic shell technique, using few modern aids to smooth the process. He does this because he believes in the quality of directness in this way of casting. Always respectful of the dangers of the red moulten bronze, never too confident, this attitude contributes to the intensity of a sculpture.

‘Hate and Hope’ gives a very clear example of the importance of Gillespie’s own casting.