Vincent Woropay (4 December 1951 – 12 June 2002) was an English sculptor and teacher.
Life edit
Woropay was born in London, of Polish parents. He studied fine art at Brighton Polytechnic, gaining a first class honours degree in 1977, and at the Slade School of Fine Art he obtained a higher diploma in 1979. He was a fellow of the British School at Rome from 1979 to 1981.[1][2] He was a lecturer at Middlesex Polytechnic from 1981 to 1991, and from 1991 was a senior lecturer at the Wimbledon School of Art.[1]
Woropay died of cancer of the thorax, aged 50, in 2002.[2]
Works edit
In an obituary, Anthony Howell wrote that Woropay's sculptures "give material form to a fluidity between reality and imagination more usually associated with language and literature.... His art was an attempt to capture what is fleeting... or to suggest the passing of the monumental."[2] Woropay's works include the following:
"Hand of the River God", of 1984, is situated at the quayside of Baltic Wharf in Bristol. It is a colossal hand holding up a fountain between fingers and thumb.[3]
"Capo", a head of Josiah Wedgwood carved out of bricks, was commissioned for the 1986 Stoke-on-Trent Garden Festival. It was moved in 2009 to Festival Way near Etruria Hall, once Josiah Wedgwood's home.[2][4] After its demolition was mistakenly ordered during road-widening work in January 2023, plans for its restoration were announced by Stoke-on-Trent City Council in June 2023.[5]
"Wattilisk", of 1988, was commissioned by Birmingham City Council. The sculpture has five surmounted portrait heads of James Watt in differing stages of abstraction, its form having an affinity with Egyptian obelisks.[6]
"Hand with Chronos", a giant hand with a small figure in its palm, was commissioned for the 1990 Gateshead Garden Festival, and was later moved to Stoke-on-Trent railway station.[2][7]
References edit
- ^ a b "Vincent Woropay" Art UK. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Anthony Howell. Vincent Woropay obituary The Guardian, 5 July 2002.
- ^ "Hand of the River God" Art UK. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Capo (Josiah Wedgwood 1730–1795)" Art UK. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Josiah sculpture set to be rebuilt" The Sentinel, 12 June 2023, via PressReader. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Wattilisk" Art UK. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "A hidden sculpture at Stoke-on-Trent station" Art UK, 9 January 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
External links edit
Media related to Vincent Woropay at Wikimedia Commons- 5 artworks by or after Vincent Woropay at the Art UK site
