Sarkis Tossonian

"Robed I" Bronze Sculpture 11" x 4" x 2" inch by Sarkis Tossonian

1996

Sarkis Tossoonian was born in Alexandria in 1953. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts/Sculpture in 1979. He started exhibiting in individual and group exhibitions in Alexandria since 1980 and up until now. Sarkis Tossoonian won the second prize in Sculpture in the 5th Biennale of Port Said in 2001. Sarkis Tossoonian excels in blending two different mediums in his works like non shiny bronze with shiny golden brass. His figures stand for both male and female dressed elegantly and representing mostly noble graceful figures Although metals are his favorite material, Tossoonian returned to Aswan symposium to carve another statue of granite for the second time. This year, the artist wants to carve what he wished to do last year but failed due to the disobedience of the stubborn piece of stone. A long and thin sculpture featuring a woman standing in wind is Tossoonian’s piece this round. He emphasized on small details in attempt to embody the movement through the woman’s hair, garb and scrf which fly over her body. Polishing the different parts of the sculpture’s external façade enabled the artist to play with light and shadow. The red granite is the artist’s best choice to his sculpture as suits a sculpture of an Alexandrian woman. His work of arts reflect his optimistic vision and his fascination with the Greco-Roman civilization which sovereign Alexandria in ancient time. After one year of taming granite Tossoonian realized that carving granite totally contradict what he used to in wood and bronze. The latter are soft and leave the artist free handed to highlight details but in granite it is better to carve simple forms without too much details. Tossoonian prefers to carve figurative sculpture because it is the best form that correctly expressed his ideas which converge in joining the past to the present.