In class this week were encouraged to write about an art masterpiece of our own choice.I decide to pick something close to home which is a brown statue known as “Rusty” or “brown Thomas”.It is situated in the centre of the campus between the library,the main building and the Concert hall. The offical title of the artwork is Together and Apart by Antony Gormley. The.The sculpture is approximately 700 kilograms in weight and nearly six feet in height.Rusty vaguely resembles a person with their head bowed and arms aligned close to the body.
The artist himself chose the precise placement of the figure,a busy and popular location that is passed by hundreds of students everyday.On entering the wide open space occupied by Rusty your attention is immediately drawn to him,even if there are crowds in its vicinity It.It has since become an unofficial center point of the university campus.I can recall numerous occasions where I was giving directions to a student which began with the question with “Do you know where rusty is?”.More often then not the person would recognize instantly of what I was referring too.I believe this is a testament to the memorable impact that Rusty has on people. .Every year on graduation day dozens of recent graduates will have their picture taken with the statue.Something which I also fully intend to do.What is it about Anthony Gormleys sculpture that we are all drawn towards?What makes it such an iconic figure?Should it be considered a master piece .
In my humble opinion the answer to the latter question is yes it is indeed a masterpiece.The craftsmanship and quality of the artwork is incredible. Aswell as the sculptures quality the placement of the piece in its exact place is quiet ingenious.It casts Rusty as a lonely and isolated and forlorn figure.The wide open space around him draws even more attention to that fact.Perhaps that is why people are drawn to Rusty so strongly.Everyone at some point in their life has experienced a sense of isolation from people around them.This can even be the case when you are surrounded by people,like Rusty often is.In fact people can feel more lonely and withdrawn when surrounded by a group of people.I still remember the first time I saw Rusty .The faithful occasion took place many years ago when I was a spry young child when the university was not as vast as it was now.Myself and my mother where about to visit my Uncle in the main building when all of a sudden I saw this strange figure in the distance.At first I mistook Rusty for a lone figure in the distance.My attentions became transfixed oh this figure as I continued my approach.When I eventually reached Rusty I apparently referred to it as “the coolest thing in the world” and I told my mother that wanted one.My young mind was in awe of this large human sized bronze staue in front of me. I have no other recollection of that day save Rusty and I think that speaks volume to what a huge impression it left on me.
It is obvious that the artist Antony Gormley crafted every aspect of Rusty with the utmost care.It makes people think and feel.Therefore I think it is one of the best art masterpieces on the UL campus
Ethan MacNamara 