Artist: Phyllis Mantik deQuevedo
Title: One Heart
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: 23"h x7"w
Some sculptures resonate for me with a deeper meaning. As I worked on this sculpture I found myself thinking about what it is that holds two distinctly different individuals together through the years. It is clearly at the humor of God that my husband and I met and married. We laugh at the realization we would not have been attracted to each other in our youth. But, as much as we are different, we are similar in things we value most. What keeps us together is far beyond the physical attributes and infatuation—it’s a commitment built upon faith, advanced by shared respect and fortified by life’s experiences. I love the African Proverb "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far go together.”
"One Heart" depicts two human figures entwined in an intimate embrace. The figures are a man and a woman engaging in a gentle and affectionate pose, with their foreheads touching and their arms wrapped around one another. Both figures exhibit soft and fluid lines that suggest a sense of movement and tender connection between them. The sculpture captures the figures from head to mid-calf, and it dramatically merges their forms, particularly at the lower half where their bodies blend into a single, flowing base. The surface of the sculpture has a smooth, polished finish with a warm, earthy patina that gives the figures a lifelike quality. The level of detail in the figures' hair and the naturalistic rendering of their facial features and hands accentuate the emotional depth of the artwork. The sculpture is mounted on a round, flat base, which provides stability and emphasizes the vertical nature of the piece. Phyllis Mantik DeQuevedo highlights the sculpture's delicate details and its portrayal of human connection.