Melancholic Sculpture

This work is based upon the belief in the Four Humors, and the very real damage which diseases inflict upon the body. Melancholia is the temperment associated with Black Bile and Earth - the excess of Black Bile, known as Morbidity can result in problems resulting from slow acting poisons. The process by which these sculptures were made is a reenactment of the body's ailments and healing process. Broken, quenched, contorted, and re-healed with the heat of the Glass Furnace, these structures are covered in ragged scars and patches of "skin" stretched wide over pock marks and gaping holes. Reminiscent of internal organs, these glass sculptures possess a warmth that invites you to touch them, turn them over in your hands, and explore their crevasses with your fingers. Their imperfections are the very heart of what makes them fascinating. According to Hippocrates, an imbalance of bodily substances was thought to be the direct cause of all diseases. Essentially, this theory holds that the human body was filled with four of these basic substances, called Humors, which are in balance when a person is healthy. All illnesses and disabilities resulted from an excess or deficit of one of the Four Humors. The deficits could be caused by vapors that were inhaled or absorbed by the body. The Four Humors were Melancholia (black bile), Choleric (yellow bile), Sanguine (blood), Phlegmatic (phlegm). Greeks and Romans, and the later Muslim and Western European medical establishments that adopted and adapted classical medical philosophy, believed that each of these humors would wax and wane in the body, depending on diet and activity. When a patient was suffering from a surplus or imbalance of one fluid, then his or her personality and physical health would be effected. This theory was closely related to the theory of the four elements: Earth, Fire, Water, and Air. Earth was predominantly present in the Black Bile, Fire in the Yellow Bile, Water in the Phlegm, and all four elements in the Blood.

Sculpture:Glass on Glass

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:8 W x 10.5 H x 7 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.