''Torso Fragment'', a public

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

by the American artist Casey Eskridge, is located on the

Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, commonly referred to as IUPUI, is a public research university in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is a collaboration between Indiana University and Purdue University that offers undergraduate, grad ...

(IUPUI) campus, near downtown

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. The piece was donated to IUPUI and is located outside of the west entrance to Eskenazi Hall on the IUPUI campus. Eskenazi Hall houses

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

’s Herron School of Art and Design and is located at 735 W. New York Street in Indianapolis. The sculpture was created in 2005. ''Torso Fragment'' is 20" long by 17" wide by 37" high. The metal work of public art stands atop a

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

base, with a label identifying the artist, title and year of creation on the proper front (south side) of the base.

Description

"The

torso The torso or trunk is an anatomical term for the central part, or the core, of the body of many animals (including humans), from which the head, neck, limbs, tail and other appendages extend. The tetrapod torso — including that of a human � ...

piece, commissioned by his alma mater, the Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis, resembles a piece from classical antiquity, except that instead of being carved in stone, it's formed from aluminum." Eskridge's creation of ''Torso Fragment'' was clearly influenced by the

classical sculpture Classical sculpture (usually with a lower case "c") refers generally to sculpture from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, as well as the Hellenized and Romanized civilizations under their rule or influence, from about 500 BC to around 200 AD. It ma ...

developed during the 5th century BC in

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...

and the exaggerated contrapposto form. This silver sculpture of a male torso twists in a classical S Curve form, with the proper right thigh extending forward and its counterpart — the proper left thigh — in a flexed, straight position. The S Curve continues with a slight twist in the torso and finishes with the proper right shoulder raised while proper left shoulder slacked and extended downward. The sculpture has been described as "a truncated male figure that shows a muscular torso slightly turned - might have been lifted from an archaeological ruin." Departing from this reference to

, ''Torso Fragment'' is hollow and aluminum, reminding a viewer of its modern origins.

Information

''Torso Fragment'' is one of three sculptures by Eskridge on the campus of IUPUI. The other two works are a commissioned fictional bust of the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of nurses, St. Camillus de Lellis, installed in the School of Nursing, and a bust of Dr. Joseph T. Taylor, the first dean of the School of

Liberal Arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

at IUPUI. ''Torso Fragment'' was created in 2005 for the First Sculpture Invitational. It is located outdoors, just west of Eskenazi Hall.

Acquisition

''Torso Fragment'' is part of a collection of

outdoor sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable s ...

s displayed and located on the IUPUI campus. This sculpture was added to the collection in 2005. It was selected for the first Public Sculpture Invitational exhibition hosted by the Herron School of Art and Design, which provided a showcase for the work of “15 artists each represented by a single work.” The exhibit included fifteen public works of art on view outdoors from May 2005 to August 2006. Featured artists included Herron School of Art and Design faculty Katrin Asbury, Greg Hull, and Eric Nordgulen. Other artists included David Bellamy, Barbara Cooper,

Tom Otterness Tom Otterness (born 1952) is an American sculptor best known as one of America's most prolific public artists. Otterness's works adorn parks, plazas, subway stations, libraries, courthouses and museums around the world, notably in New York City's ...

, John Ruppert, James Wille Faust, Edward Mayer,

Don Gummer Don Gummer (born December 12, 1946) is an American sculptor. His early work concentrated on table-top and wall-mounted sculpture. In the mid-1980s, he shifted his focus to large free-standing works, often in bronze. In the 1990s, he added a var ...

Judith Shea Judith Shea is an American sculptor and artist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1948. She received a degree in fashion design at Parsons School of Design in 1969 and a BFA in 1975. This dual education formed the basis for her figure based ...

, Casey Eskridge,

Wim Delvoye Wim Delvoye (born 1965 in Wervik, West Flanders) is a Belgian neo-conceptual artist known for his inventive and often shocking projects. Much of his work is focused on the body. As the critic Robert Enright wrote in the art magazine ''Border ...

Tom Sachs Tom Sachs (born July 26, 1966) is an American contemporary artist who lives and works in New York City. Life and early career Sachs was born in New York City on July 26, 1966. He grew up in Westport, Connecticut, attending high school at Gree ...

, and Arney Nadler. Funds from the Cultural Development Commission, Ruth Lilly, IU New Frontiers Grant Program, and the IUPUI Campus Arts Committee supported the exhibition.

Artist

Casey Eskridge grew up in rural Indiana, the son of a farmer. He spent his time “playing sports and being outdoors”. Eskridge is best known for a “naturalistic approach to the figure, recognizing human imperfections and the character within the figure". Eskridge, who earned his bachelor's degree from the Herron School of Art and Design in 1997 received his

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

degree in 2002 from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He works from his home, a "converted church built in 1873 in the southern Chester County", in

Avondale, Pennsylvania Avondale is a borough in Chester County, in southeastern Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,272 at the 2020 census. Geography Avondale is located on Pennsylvania Route 41 just south of U.S. Route 1. The community is on the East B ...

, as a professional sculptor.

References

External links