Mayo’s ‘Boy’ a sculpture of innocence
The Queensland Art Gallery’s current exhibition “Myth to Modern” displays a fascinating exhibition of bronze sculptures.
This piece entitled Sketch (of a boy) by Daphne Mayo, standing only a few inches tall, struck me from across the room of raw, sculptured bodies.
The piece embodies the femininity of a young boy that perhaps sets out to challenge the stereotype of visual masculinity.
Neck, stomach, hips, legs: this boy child’s sculpted body accentuates features often associated with a girl.
Perhaps not.
It may be a boy child captured by his imagination with no further understanding of his body’s pose than the abilities and natural stance that it takes.
In the context of recent controversies over the role of children in modern nude artwork, this sculpture screams of the child-like innocence that any representation of children should have.
Either way, this sculpture is an enchanting piece of artwork that, like many, leaves the interpretation up to you.
The exhibition showcases a variety of art from abstract Picasso to modern house furnishings.