Are You Looking Up is an abstract female figure sculpture in white marble by Zak Stevens: a tall form with a body but no head or arms, carved by hand and finished in gold kintsugi. A small companion figure stands at the back of the plinth, looking up at her. The work is available at £8,000.
Two figures, a single upward gaze
The tall figure is reduced to the essentials of the body: weight, curve and stance. There is no head and there are no arms, so the eye reads the whole form rather than a face. Behind her, on the plinth, the small companion has a head and arms but no body. He looks up at her.
She has a body but no head or arms. He has a head and arms but no body. They complete each other. Figure, companion and carved marble plinth are offered as a single work for £8,000.
Why sculptors abstract the figure
Many of the best-known sculptures surviving from the ancient world reached us incomplete, missing heads or limbs. Over time the torso became a subject in its own right, and sculptors began to leave out parts of the body by choice rather than by accident.
Taking away detail changes what a figure communicates. Without a face to read, attention moves to posture, proportion and the way the form turns in space. The viewer completes the figure in their own mind, which is why a reduced form can feel more personal than a detailed likeness. Zak Stevens works in this way: abstracted figures, often without head or limbs, in which stance and proportion carry the work.
Choosing an abstract female figure sculpture
An abstract female figure sculpture depends on its silhouette and on the way its surfaces flow from one view to the next. It is worth seeing a piece from several angles, ideally in person, before deciding. Walk around it, look at it from a distance and close to, and notice how the outline changes as you move. A strong piece reads clearly as a figure from far off and rewards closer looking with the detail of its surface.
The points below apply to any work of this kind.
- Does the form hold its balance and sense of stance from every side
- How the surface handles light, polished or matt
- Whether the material has been carved or cast
- How the scale relates to the room or garden it will occupy
- Whether a plinth or base is part of the work
Carved by hand from a single block
Zak carves the human figure by hand from a single block. Nothing is cast or moulded, and no cut can be taken back. Pencil first, then the grinder, then abrasives of increasing fineness, until the surface is smooth to the touch.
No two blocks are alike. Where the stone of Are You Looking Up opened along its natural veins, Stevens finished it in gold kintsugi, leaving the line visible as part of the piece. The gold follows the body of the figure, as the veins do.
Seeing and buying the piece
Are You Looking Up is in Bruton, Somerset, and can be viewed by arrangement. Dimensions are available on request. To enquire, write to Zak at hello@zakstevens.art or call +44 7498 566111.
Questions
What is an abstract figure sculpture?
It is a sculpture based on the human body that simplifies, exaggerates or leaves out parts of it, so that form, posture and proportion matter more than likeness.
Why do some sculptures have no head or arms?
Many ancient sculptures lost their heads and limbs over the centuries. Later sculptors adopted the incomplete figure deliberately, because removing the face and limbs draws attention to the body's stance and shape.
Is Are You Looking Up one piece or two?
It is a single work. The tall figure, the small companion and the carved marble plinth are offered together for £8,000.
Are the dimensions of Are You Looking Up available?
Dimensions are available on request. Write to Zak at hello@zakstevens.art and he will send them, along with any other details you need.