The Minotaur an Award Winning Sculpture by Deran Wright
Minotaur! is a lost wax cast bronze on a two tier black granite base. Limited edition size of 41.
Winner of the Tallix Award at the National Sculpture Society's 71st
Annual Exhibition.
$5,400. usd
shipping and handling not included
11" x 10.5" x 7.5" 24lbs
The Minotaur has been imprisoned in the darkness of the labyrinth for many years. But when it was young, before it was captured, it was free to roam the Cretan countryside.
When the doomed captives are thrust into the labyrinth, they are fair, clean and garlanded with sweet smelling flowers.
Stumbling across one of these blooms in the utter darkness, inhaling its fragrance, does the Minotaur recall the warmth and brightness of the sun? The beauty of the meadows he once prowled...?
Or does it just think "Ah, lunch is served?"
The Minotaur! A creature to scare children with, one of the ultimate villains of Greek mythology, lurking at the center of an inescapable labyrinth, waiting to devour all trespassers. But looking deeper into the story, you might realize that the Minotaur is also a victim, a tragic figure created by a capricious and vengeful god.
Irritated by a perceived insult from Minos, the king of Crete, the Greek god Poseidon set into motion a chain of events that led to the birth, prolonged imprisonment, and eventual death of the Minotaur, not to mention countless others, (the creature's hapless victims).
Artist's note;
I created Minotaur 23+ years ago, but the sculpture still resonates more than most works I have fashioned. It gained entry (no small thing in itself) into the prestigious National Sculpture Society annual award show, and won the Tallix Prize. A guy in Australia has it tattooed on his shoulder. Warner Bros rented Minotaur! for the Scorsese movie, The Departed. It apparently was sitting on the nightstand in Jack Nicholson's coke fueled orgy scene.
Minotaur! was used as the album cover for the Australian band The Drones.
Minotaur has fronted Mythology curriculums in major universities, been featured in books about (what else) Labyrinths, and tattoos. American Horror Stories wanted to use it in promotional materials for one season, but I was out of touch, and when I returned it was too late.
It is now available as a fantastic intaglio engraved jewel setting for a ring, a work of art in itself, from the talented folks at Olithica. And it continues...
