Contemplation Print

On figurines in metal (bronze) a tougher modeling is observed; shapes are stricter; the principle of cubic reduction to basic geometric shapes is present to a greater extent, especially in the treatment of the head. The emphasis is more on the relation of mass and shape, and less on the fleshliness of the naked body, which is largely conditioned by the possibilities of the material itself. Being well aware of the possibilities of expression of the material, Smilkov uses bronze as a material in which the sharpness and slimness of the shape can be most clearly achieved, as well as the "soundness" of the material itself. By placing bronze figurines on a stone base, the artist measures the ratio of bronze and stone, opposing the two states and levels of the visual effect of the surface's luster, but also the sonorousness of bronze – to the muffledness of stone.