Famine – Rowan Gillespie by Emma O'Grady 5th yr

Famine – Rowan Gillespie

‘Famine’ is a collection of statues that were crafted by Rowan Gillespie in 1997. The statues sit on the Custom House Quay in Dublin and depicts a group of starving figures journeying to Dublin Port during the Great Irish Famine. The sculptures are crafted from bronze, and feature an abundance of texture throughout. The figures appear coarse, which adds to the rough, unclean look of the people. Their clothes and skin look grubby and tattered, as they are living in incredible poverty and starvation. In my opinion the texture used provides the piece with a lot of interest and emotion.

The colours used in these statues are muted and dull, which adds to the mood and atmosphere of the piece. The figures are a mixture of dirty browns and dull yellows with a hint of a pale moss-green. I think that the colours used in this piece are very effective and enhance the overall look of the statues.

A feature of the art piece I found particularly interesting was the artist’s manipulation of the human body. The figures in the piece are elongated and narrowed, which helps them to appear bony and frail, but also somewhat ghoulish.  I think that this is a wonderful addition to the sculptures and it really enhances the way that the viewer perceives the figures.