Marc Sijan
Marc Sijan's super realistic sculptures are "homages to humanity's fascination with its own forms - a fascination which has compelled artists throughout the millennia to mirror life in virtually every medium." Sijan's figures are incredibly lifelike, sensuous and graceful. In fact, they are so lifelike, they seem always on the verge of movement, a mere instant away from action. The pores in the skin, the tiny hairs, and veins; even the bald spots, the blemishes, the individual shapes of the faces that make human beings so similar, yet so unique. These are the essence of what makes Marc Sijan's work so arresting.
Sijan a Milwaukee based artist carries on the tradition of a very old form, but his approach is very modern. His realism recalls the work of the Greek sculptors in its bold expression of human energy and poise. But Sijan is not necessarily celebrating the ideal form. His figures are more gritty, more natural - a tribute to real people. Sijan's work is similar to that of fellow artists Duane Hansen and John DeAndrea, who use lifelike human figures to express elements of the human condition and human relationships. But where his colleagues tend to express a kind of static existence, Sijan tries to capture a life force in full swing.
"I am seeking to freeze motion rather than suggest life." he notes. "The sculpture appears passive, but there is so much going on inside."
Sijan received his Bachelor's degree in art education from the University of Wisconsin in 1968, then went on to complete a Master of Science in Art degree three years later. It was then that he began to sculpt the human figure. His work has won him recognition throughout the country, with over 40 one-man museum exhibitions throughout North America |