As you know I love sharing the gifts and skills of all types of artists and today I’d like to introduce you to the absolutely astonishing work of Lorenzo Quinn, hence today’s blog: How amazing is Lorenzo Quinn?
Lorenzo Quinn at work
Watch this video that was released on June 8, 2019 about his life his inspiration his art his life. If you are interested in art in the world today, you’ll be pleased you sat down and watched this 12 minute video.
“Building Bridges” by Lorenzo Quinn
In case you decided NOT to watch the video – I’ll show you an image or two or three of his work that I think will entice you to find out more about him.
“Building Bridges” by Lorenzo Quinn 2019
BUILDING BRIDGES 2019
Sculptor Lorenzo Quinn triumphantly returns to Venice with yet another monumental installation. Six pairs of hands stretch across the basin of the historic Arsenal, joining together to create a bridge of unity.
Building Bridges by Lorenzo Quinn
At almost 50 feet high and 65 meters wide, Building Bridges is a stunning addition to the city as it experiences the Venice Biennale. And for Quinn, it’s a spectacular bookend to his 2017 work in Venice, Support, which garnered worldwide acclaim.
Each pair of the sculpture’s hands celebrate one of six universal human values: Friendship, to build on the future together; Wisdom, to make mutually beneficial decisions; Help, to cement lasting relationships; Faith, to trust in your heart and self-worth; Hope, to persevere in worthwhile endeavors; and Love, the fundamental purpose for it all,” shares Quinn.
Every pair of these hands express these values through their touch. Whether lightly brushing or gripping strongly, the groups form an undeniable expression that translates universally. These words are taken from an article about Lorenzo from My Modern Met.
SUPPORT 2017
“Support” by Lorenzo Quinn 2017
While the hands of his very famous Support spoke to the dual nature of humanity and its ability to be both creative and destructive in terms of the environment, Building Bridges focuses wholly on the positive. In an age when walls are being raised to divide us, Quinn looks to spread a message of unity and peace in a city built on bridges.
His work featured on the cover of National Geographic as seen in the feature image of this blog.
If you want to learn more about Lorenzo Quinn or follow him on any of the social media platforms, you’ll be able to find him there. His website home page is here.
Lorenzo Quinn at work
My Modern Met is about the best blog on all things art. We should all subscribe because their articles are both inspiring and fascinating. Thanks MyModernMet!
Lorenzo Quinn at work
Hand of God
From MyModernMet and again on Lorenzo Quinn, they write abut “Hand of God”- a piece created in 2013. It is a visually symbolic piece representing a life journey filled with all kinds of strong emotions. This large-scale public installation features a giant hand reaching out from the ground and supporting a slouched, possibly downtrodden, figure resting atop the palm. Isn’t it moving?
Hand of God by Lorenzo Quinn 2013
The piece encapsulates moments of self-doubt and fear and visually conveys what it is to be human. Many of Quinn’s sculptures exemplify our continuous path towards finding balance in life. In his work, he often uses a recurring theme of human hands, stating, “Hands are part of a universal language, they transcend borders.” The recognizable form provides a commonality with which viewers are able to identify, allowing every culture to connect with the work on a basic level.
“This is not a game” by Lorenzo Quinn
After exploring different types of sculpture, including surrealism, Quinn eventually found great success with a well-received, classical approach. According to his bio, many of his pieces start first as interpretations of quotes, phrases, or poetry that then grow and develop into their final, public installations. This piece was recently unveiled in London’s Royal Exchange courtesy of the Castle Fine Art and Halcyon Gallery, and it is open to the public daily and free of charge.
You can read this 2013 Article about Lorenzo Quinn and the sculpture he created titled “This is not a game”, and you can see it here.
“This is not a game” by Lorenzo Quinn 2013
“Sculptor Lorenzo Quinn playfully designs disembodied hands playing with life-size toys. The artist’s public installation titled Esto no es un juego, or This is not a game, is especially interesting in its declaration juxtaposed with a pair of hands holding onto what appear to be plastic toys. Like the set of a child’s imagination gone wild at playtime, the display is adorned with classic green army men holding varying stances. It is simultaneously playful and powerful, sending a message about the seriousness of war that is made light of through toys.”
Vroom Vroom by Lorenzo Quinn 2011
Visually similar (though more lighthearted in nature), Quinn’s installations titled Vroom Vroom and La Dolce Vita feature an amusing display of hands guiding life-size vehicles like toys. The installations simply show a child-like grip over a car and a gentle hand plucking a vespa to pop a wheelie, but the gestures are universally understood.
The artist provides an entertaining bit of nostalgia with each installation” explains My Modern Met.
Lorenzo Quinn at work
He also makes jewellery in white gold, rose gold and yellow gold. Here you can see how his work translates magnificently to jewellery. At the time of writing this blog (June 2019) this bangle is 5,650.00€ incl. VAT which translates to Australian $9,2222.30 or US $6,338.30. Here’s a link to his shop if you’d like one for the love in your life!
“Finding Love” 18K white gold bangle by Lorenzo Quinn.
There are several versions of this piece. I find it thought-provoking, how amazing is Lorenzo Quinn? This is what he’s written about this sculpture “The Force of Nature”.
The Force of Nature by Lorenzo Quinn
“We humans think of ourselves as supreme beings, above all others and in absolute control of our destiny and our surroundings.
We live with a false sense of security only to be awakened by Mother Nature’s fury, almost as if she needs to remind us of her presence and our responsibility towards her child (The Earth).
After having seen the ravaged coast of Thailand and the Hurricane that affected the Southern States I decided to create a sculpture dedicated to Mother Nature.
This would be reminiscent of the early statues made as peace offerings to the Gods in the hope of quenching their anger. In essence, people are not very different today from the people who lived thousands of years ago. We still devote ourselves to symbols in order to escape our destiny.”
At work – Lorenzo Quinn
Thank you Lorenzo Quinn for sharing your insights with the world, and congratulations for making us think about the world we live in and our responsibilities to the future of our planet!
And thanks to everyone, as always, for reading today’s blog How amazing is Lorenzo Quinn? I’ll be sharing the skills and talents of someone else next month. In case you want to see the last blog about a genius I love click here this one is about Paige Bradley, and another blog about Zenos Frudakis
You can recommend someone for me to write about if you like.
Comments are always welcome and responded to individually.
jenie x
