American Sculptor Born 1924
Segal who originally started as a painter turned to sculpture in order to explore the human figure as it relates to actual space and its surroundings. Segal's early work is often treated within the framework of Pop Art, because of the reference to the individual's position within mass culture and the examination of the relationship between fine and popular art. Later his work reflected social concerns. Example the “Depression Breadline” on view in Washington D.C. at the Roosevelt Memorial).
These works consist of plaster molds cast from living models in order to capture life like gestures, placed in environmental places, which lock them in time. Segal is known internationally for his figurative works in plaster, which he created using a unique technique that he developed.
Students created wire armatures, and covered them with plaster-gauze material. They worked in cooperatively selecting an environment, pose, prop, and figure. Students explored proportions of the figure, the form and how it relates to space.
The three dimensional forms then took on the element of value as the natural and artificial light cast a wide range of shadows onto the figures.