by: Tanzim Choudhury, Katherine DeLorenzo, Margaret Iuni, Sydney Marino, Alanna McAuliffe, and Kevin Savarese
Décontractée by Louise Bourgeois
Crafted 1990, Pink marble and steel base
As we walked through the halls of the Brooklyn Museum on September 3rd, we found ourselves enchanted and intrigued by the various works around us. Our eyes were drawn in particular to French-American artist Louise Bourgeois’ Décontractée, a sculpture crafted from pink marble featuring models of two severed hands atop a rough block of unfinished marble. Throughout her career, Bourgeois worked with images of body parts, usually fragmented. Many of her pieces include hands, appendages often remarked upon in the art world as they serve as the artist’s greatest tool. Here, we discuss our interpretation of the piece as well as the deeper emotional meaning behind the sculpture itself.
Overall, we garnered a greater appreciation for art and the deeper meaning in works that, at first glance, appeared to hold little value below the surface. The experience was enjoyable, educational, and encouraged us to bond with other Macaulay students.
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