What's New!

For a number of years now I have attempted to express something of the contemporary ‘female condition’ through my ceramic forms, mostly in a light-hearted if sometimes slightly irreverent manner.

The inspiration for this new body of work, “Pillars of Society”, comes from the stone statuary of ancient Greece.

Caryatids are sculpted female figures that act as pillars, supporting an architectural member on their heads. The most famous being those known as the ‘Portico of the Maidens’ found on the Erechtheion, at the Acropolis, Athens.

To me they offer an interesting feminine contradiction as well as presenting a fabulous 3-D form to parody. They appear on the one hand strong and determined in their important role as architectural support, carrying a great weight and responsibility. On the other hand they can be read as decorative and submissive. A typical art-text describes Caryatids as:

“graceful and reserved … 6 maidens (who) do not express the strain of their burden”.

Interestingly, their male equivalents, called "Atlantes", are often carved to clearly suggest the effect of carrying a great weight on their shoulders.

Caryatids however, must stand erect and carry their encumbrances with silent self-restraint and stoicism.

Predicably, the ancient figurines represented high status females; goddesses or heroines at the very least, not your average mum or working girl. How else does a women get to be placed on a pedestal?

With this in mind, I considered a contemporary interpretation of the Caryatid.

My “girls” are a far cry from the classical notion of idealised beauty and perfect proportions. I take the opportunity to elevate to “pillar status” the lesser-acknowledged women in society, those who don’t get to be immortalised in stone (or magazine covers) for their beauty, youth, athleticism, wealth or power.

Dee Jaeger 2006

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