Pen on paper
29.2 x 24 cm
The drawing The Sculptor's Atelier Table by Alberto Giacometti shows the artist's formulations for bust and torso, presented to the viewer in side profile and situated on the traces of a platform in the lower third of this portrait format. These formal representations are reminiscent of the profile view representations in ancient Egyptian art, with which the artist was very familiar. Looping strokes gesture back and forth, lending form to the figures. The art- ist's use of pen allows us to follow his searching approach in the formulation process, and closer examination reveals the exploration of form and position of features through the build-up of repeating and quickly drawn lines.
In The Sculptor's Atelier Table, Giacometti transfers the three-dimensional investigation in his work to the surface, and through the division of the sheet of paper lends a specific relationship of the drawn figures to their spacial surroundings, introducing further perspectives in his exploration of the human form.
Giacometti recognized the impossibility of reproducing in artistic form what he perceived in the world, yet this remained an essential impulse – his focus on the observable reality of human form. "I know (...) that it is quite impossible (...) to model or paint or draw a head as I see it, but nevertheless that is exclusively what I attempt to do."
Although we are most aware of Giacometti's sculptural work, he pursued till his death the three genres of visual arts (painting, sculpture and drawing). The individual in his/her unmis- takable uniqueness, and concurrent universal nature as human being – this constitutes the essence of his artistic work.
Denise Rigaud
