Immediate Response:
When I first saw this sculpture, it was immediately the one I gravitated to out of any piece in her gallery. It seems simple yet intricate: the shapes looked effortless and unfinished but it feels intentional. I was drawn to the simplicity of the two opposing colors. I also found the facial expression of the person funny. Every part of the human structure looks like it was molded with fingers, possessing the indents of a finger print and the shape a thumb leaves when you push too hard on clay. On the contrary, the dog looks much smoothers and straight cut instead of being molded.
Objective Description:
Looking at this sculpture, you immediately see a black human-like amorphous form facing forward, towards you. The figure is standing. Just behind him, is a white figure with the distinct shape of a dog or a wolf that is standing sideways. The way it is standing you see the entire length of his body and one half of his face. The human-like figure has it’s left limb out, creating a ninety degree angle, and the end of the limb falls around the dogs neck. The gesture appears kind hearted, like when you put your arm around someone for a picture. The other limb is at around a forty five degree angle and there is a slight bend in it. On its face, there are holes to represent two eyes and a mouth. The eyes are very small and circular and the mouth is larger but also circular. The dog does not have a defined face. The structure is placed upon a white box with a plain white background.
Technical Decisions:
In this piece, I think the composition plays a really important role. Although this piece is static, it represents the motion of the human figure putting its arm around the dog. This piece is also definitely harmonic due to the position the two figures are in. The arm placement is not malicious like in attempts to hurt the dog, but like a gesture of friendship. I also found the color choice very interesting. The harsh and stark difference between the dark and the light, but also the way they compliment each other. I believe this color choice was intentional and deliberate for some sense of meaning.
The Work in the World
This piece of artwork connects to the world due to its representation of man and nature in unity. The relationship between man and its animal counterparts is something that was so vital to the survival of human kind. It impacts so many parts of our history and daily life: food, protection, travel, trading of goods, companionship, and so much more. The way the two figures are standing together as one exemplifies their connection. Especially the gesture of the arm implies that they have some sort of relationship, like a hunter and the retrieving dog for example. There is emotion contrived in their still depiction of friendship, trust, and reliance. These feelings are ones that have carried on throughout human history as humans and animals learned to live in alliance with each other.
The Story it Tells
Especially from the title, Kid and Dog, the story I get from this piece is the relationship between a child and a pet. Especially due to the size of the human figure, it is not very tall or big compared to the dog, I am lead to believe it is representing childhood. There is a special type of relationship held between a child and a pet, where they learn the abilities to trust, take care of, rely on, and love each other. This can be a key component of how a person becomes who they are due to learning these skills at such a young age.