Welcome Back
78 in / 2 m
A sovereign is returning to his kingdom after a long absence. His jester can hardly contain his joy.
Everything in this sculpture evokes the joy of a homecoming, the warm of a welcome. The jester is bowing. Every part of his body is involved in his deep reverence to the newly arrived ruler. One hand is bent in salute while the other is waving a hat. His left leg is poised mid-air, foot flexed, and with the right leg in a pose of exaggerated reverence, even his buttocks seem to be prostrated. In his agitation, he is losing his gloves. But throughout, there is no hint of submission. The Welcome Back figure looks us in the eye, his open face beaming. The road is clear, all is perfect!
Anecdote
(See #42)
I was working on Schedar (cf.59) when representatives of the Vieux-Québec Desjardins credit union dropped by with a request for a monumental sculpture for the small courtyard next to their building. The huge Cassiopeia did not give off the family image that they were seeking. In my workspace stood Welcome Back on a pedestal base; and that is how everything started.
(See press review)
Treatment
Bronze (78in/2m) with patina; protected with epoxy for outdoors.
A series of three. One artist’s proof.
