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Britannica editor Alicja Zelazko smiles at the camera, with a blue speech bubble above her reading "ask a Britannica editor" against a textured background.

Our Art Editor's Favorite Sculptor

Alicja Zelazko wants you to enjoy art, not struggle with it.
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Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:00:19
Munhur—

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Munhere—

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Menhere—

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Hi, I'm Alicja Zelazko,

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and I'm

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the arts and humanities editor

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at Encyclopædia Britannica.

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So today

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we're talking about

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Barbara Hepworth

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who is one of my most

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favorite artists.

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One of my most

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favorite pieces is in

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the Art Institute of Chicago.

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that one is called,

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“Two Figures (Menhirs)”

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Menhirs...?

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Oh, that sound like manure,

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“Two Figures (Menhirs)”

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she thinks a lot about space.

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So there’s just all these

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aspects of negative space

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and like layered space.

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Something that I love

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about this sculpture is,

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they are standing side

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by side.

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they're not

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in a straight line.

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The left one is taller.

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And then the one on the right

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is slightly behind it

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and slightly angled

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toward it.

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It's such a small detail,

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you can tell

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she deliberately made

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that choice.

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It's so unexpected.

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And to me, that's,

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that's me

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catching the artist at work,

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and I find that

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really thrilling.

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Well I always say there's

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no one meaning,

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there could be many,

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many, many,

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many, interpretations

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of an artwork.

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if it looks like a human form

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to you, go with it.

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the color stands out to you,

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go with it. Explore that.

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For me,

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like, Barbara

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Hepworth’s sculptures,

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they just bring me

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a lot of pleasure

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and that's okay.

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Like it

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doesn't have to be anything

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incredibly deep.

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I think that there's

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a lot of value in

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just enjoying something.