Sisters Erzsébet Schaár

From the 1940s, Erzsébet Schaár began her career first with portrait statues with a particular power and then with figural compositions bearing Giacometti’s influence. Spatial problems, inside and outside and the formal and thematic problem of reflection became fundamental in her art from the 1960s. The practically two-dimensional silhouette-like “asculptural” figures with monumental quality often appeared in relation to architectonic elements (doors, windows, walls). Schaár took an interest in styrofoam from 1966 and this light, evanescent and porous material allowed her to work in life size. Sisters – the original of which was also Styrofoam – was made in 1968. Connection between the two, almost life-sized figures standing with their backs to each other is only made by their interwoven hair. The haggardness of the bodies further enhances the timelessness of their faces recalling death masks with their closed eyelids. The particular symbiosis of the two female figures alludes to personal memories: the artist’s sister lost her life in a tragic accident at the end of the 1940s.
István Dévényi