“Sleeping Woman” sculpted by Charles Ray (2012) at the Art Institute of Chicago 2015. (Artist’s permission being sought)
This was my favourite artwork by Charles Ray at his Art Institute of Chicago 2015 exhibition.
Although this work is made from solid stainless steel, the woman reminds me of the Sleeping Venus by Giorgione or Ophelia, the latter also painted by various artists including a more recent version by a Royal Academician in Britain.
Ray marvelled at this woman’s ability to sleep on a busy street corner on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, California, and conveys both her peacefulness and vulnerability.