Whoa, that is one big creature. I guess that's why the title of this work is Giant Figure (Cyclops) by the British-born artist, Thomas Houseago. Did you see his dinner table upstairs?
But this giant doesn't look like it's been eating very much, does it? It's frail-looking even though it's tall. Thomas, who now lives and works here in Los Angeles has built a framework inside the sculpture that supports it, called an armature. Then he put clay on top of the armature to build up the form of the figure. You can see that he has left the clay in rough strips. It's not smooth like skin or even uniform like scales on a reptile.
The figure's left foot is rough, while the right foot is smooth and well-formed. Is the giant becoming more whole or going to pieces? It looks like a sculpture that started small, informal and hand-made that has become massive. Thomas wants us to see how he makes things, and he wants us to see his hands working even after they are gone. Can you find his fingerprints?
What once was soft clay is now rigid and strong. The finished artwork that you see here is made of bronze not clay. The weight of the giant's posture and the positioning of its arms and feet make it appear as if this artwork may walk right out of the gallery when the lights go off. Don't worry. It's friendly, I think.