Ancient Civilizations, Mythology and Classical Figurative Sculpture with Louisa Forbes

Sculpture Vulture

Today, Lucy Branch talks to Louisa Forbes about her public sculpture. Louisa blends themes of religion and mythology into her classical figurative sculpture and is inspired by the idea of a connection with people thousands of years ago. She has exhibited extensively and has permanent public works in many places including Churchill and Trinity College in Cambridge, Chelsea Old Church, and St. Thomas' Hospital in London. Louisa discusses her creative journey in becoming a professional sculptor, her inspiration and love of bronze.

Join us and BE INSPIRED BY SCULPTURE. You can find images of Louisa Forbes' work and a transcription of the interview at the Sculpture Vulture Blog - SCULPTURE VULTURE

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Snippet From The Interview:

Lucy: I began our discussion today by asking her if she’d always been creative?
Louisa: Yes, basically, in a word. I mean, I started when I was little. I was the fourth child, and I think to amuse myself apart from anything else, I used to go down to a stream at the bottom of the garden and play with the clay. And it just...when I started actually producing things with it and presented them, I got a rather exciting reaction from people. So I think that was an attention seeker as a child, how it started.
Lucy: Well, mud pies are always such fun, but I've never produced anything that was worthy of any merit, not with mud, anyway. And so, was there anyone else in the family quite interested in making things?
Louisa: My grandmother, my father's mother was a very eccentric lady who was a Girton girl and studied Classics, but she also went to the Slade in about 1907.
Lucy: Oh, incredible.
Louisa: And she was there around the time of Augustus John and Professor Tonks. And so I used to go to her when I was stuck trying to draw an ear or something, and she used to, sort of, give me the classical basis of drawing. But, sadly, she obviously passed away. She was quite elderly, I think, when she had her children, so she was a pretty old lady when I knew her. But she was very interesting.
Lucy: And so, was there a school influence as well? Was there a good encouraging art mistress or...?
Louisa: That was my teacher, History of Art A Level. So, I did Classical Civilisation, History of Art, and Art A Level. So it took me from, sort of, 500 BC right up to 1955.
Lucy: Covered all the bases.
Louisa: There was a school trip with the History of Art lady who was a famous History of Art teacher. She was absolutely wonderful, called Susana Svoboda. And she took a gaggle of us awful teenagers off to Florence, bless her, on a couchette, can you imagine?
Lucy: Incredible.