Fall 2022 - The Figure

G A R Y T I N T E R O W , D I R E C T O R
T H E M A R G A R E T A L K E K W I L L I A M S C H A I R
T H E M U S E U M O F F I N E A R T S , H O U S T O N
The Figure
W E L C O M E
02
Each approx.:
74 5/8 × 45 5/8 × 7 3/8”
It seems that every few decades a startling discovery is made that pushes the earliest
evidence of art-making even further back in time. For years, the Venus of Hohle Fels, some
35,000 years old, was regarded among the earliest surviving sculptural representations
of the human figure; now, that distinction belongs to the Lion Man of Hohlenstein-Stadel,
most likely made by a member of our species, Homo sapiens, about 40,000 years ago.
No doubt other exciting finds will emerge, and advancing technology will provide more
accurate dating of these fascinating objects.
While the dates of the oldest artistic objects continue to be a matter of debate (some
refined utensils are said to be more than 100,000 years old), so too the identities of the
makers are hotly contested. If there is a consensus to be observed, it may be that one
of the defining characteristics of modern humanity is the making of art. Early depictions
feature animals, creatures that provided the essentials of life, food, and clothing, but they
were inevitably paired with representations of humans, sometimes given animal anatomy
in order to visualize supernatural beings.
As we see in the rich compendium provided by this issue of h Magazine, figural representation
has been a constant, perhaps the constant, obsession of artistic creation. The
pleasure that we enjoy and the thoughts that are launched when contemplating these
objects are most certainly the raison d’être of art, which is a deeply rooted function, and
a defining feature, of our humanity.
Yours sincerely,