Immediate Response
The Whistlers, which is a sculpture by Tip Toland in 2005, leads me not only to see the beauty of old women but also to think about the deeper meaning hidden in details. When I first saw the sculpture, I was shocked by Tip Toland’s choice of representation, which are old women. Different from sculptures I used to see, which always represent the perfect body shape of young men and women, their “imperfect” old bodies and faces make me feel confused. I noticed the old women’s mouths first, which curled up in a similar wired way. The whole piece scared me at first, but it also put me in awe of life.
Objective Description
The whole sculpture is made up of two twin figures of naked old women facing each other. Both of them have obvious signs of old age. For example, short black and white hair, wrinkles on the face, sagging breasts and shriveled skin. Their actions and expressions are weird, too. The one on the left with front hair bent her back and raised her left hand. She put her right hand on the table with two fingers together pointing to the right. Her eyes were wide and her mouth curled up as if to speak. The left woman has almost the same expression as the woman on the right as if she were imitating her. Both her hands were at her waist, and her posture was a little bit awkward.
Technical Decisions
Two similar sculptures of old women facing each other, which gives viewers a feeling that the two women are communicating, makes me think deeper about the meaning of the sculpture. The interaction between two old people seems innocent. It was as if the old woman on the left was teaching the one on the right to whistle. Even though both of the old women have mature and old bodies, which even are awkward to move, their faces have childlike innocence and simplicity. The material of this sculpture is stoneware. It’s a hard, opaque, vitrified ceramic ware. It represents how old people’s skin looks perfectly. The movement of two old women is somewhere between harmonic and dissonant. Even though the author shows the detail of muscle, the fact that the characters are old and weak makes the whole piece more peaceful.
The work in the world
The Whistlers, like most of other works of Tip Toland, shows the image of the old. Tip Toland uses paint, encaustic technique and hair to create figures with “uncanny skin quality, utterly convincing hand gestures and eerily spontaneous facial expressions”.(Wikipedia) Tip Toland’s figurative sculptures are stunningly realistic and exquisite. Tantrum, one of her other works, describes the artist’s sane response to an insane world. Beauty Parlor, is about parents willingly being made the fools out of love for their children. Fool, is a portrait of the artist herself as a contemporary fool. Most of her works are about the elderly and children because they are too often weak and neglected. The feelings imparted by her sculptures make the viewer feel the same feelings in his or her life and elicit an emotional and empathetic response.
The story it tells
Tip Toland’s works have brought the form of sculpture of the elderly into people’s aesthetics. They remind us to see the waning beauty of life, to be moved by the fragility and innocence of human beings. They separate us from a single aesthetic and teach us to see a beautiful and good soul in decrepit bodies. In Tip Toland’s work, old age and innocence, destruction and rebirth were perfectly fused together. People are inspired to pay more attention and show more respect to the old and find a wider explanation of art.