Harriet by the Sea

Harriet Hosmer‘s charm and love of decoration is evident even in this very small marble bas-relief, Morning and the Setting of the Stars: An Allegorical Relief. Made in 1856, when Hosmer, a Massachusetts native, lived and worked in Rome, the figures demonstrate both her fashionable knowledge of Greek mythology and her inventiveness. Greek gods Phosphorus and Hesperus circle Venus, the large central star they share. Phosphorus is the ascendant figure, holding a bright flaming torch while roses surround him and a bird takes flight into the distant day. Hesperus tumbles downward into sleep, signified by the poppies that fall from his hands. A bat, Hosmer’s own playful symbol, wings away from the day and into the viewer’s space.

The Portland (Maine) Museum of Art has a notable collection of neoclassical American sculpture, including another relief by Hosmer, and Paul Akers’ Dead Pearl Diver, to name just two.

A Garden of Blue

At Lucy Lacoste, Kyoto ceramic artist Aya Murata‘s transcendent ceramic sculptures are gemlike and amazingly intricate. Murata’s Nerikomi technique involves assembling many delicately patterned sections of clay over the course of several firings. Murata offers a complex explanation of the forces that drive her work:

“My work is based on the theme of life force. In the biological world, things with bright and flashy colors are often poisonous, such as mushrooms, frogs, caterpillars, and spiders. But I think that poison is the life force. If I were to compare that poison to humans, I would say that it is jealousy and ambition, which are not generally considered good things. But I think that it is because of these poisonous feelings that humans enjoy life. Without that, I don’t think the energy to want to improve and grow upward is born. I would be happy if you could feel that kind of energy from my work.”

At Lucy Lacoste in Concord, through March 9

Photo: Aya Murata, Garden of Blue, 2023, ceramic with clear glaze