The Nose

I begin this entry with a scan of one of my all-time favorite drawings based on my favorite sculpture of all time. The subject is "The Nose" by Alberto Giacometti. It was done in 1947 (the year my mother was born) and is made of bronze (the figure), twine, and an open cube made of iron from which the figure is suspended. As I type this the drawing (black ballpoint pen, black ink wash and coloured pencils) is three years old. I made it in August of 2004 when I had the opportunity to go back to the Hirsch Horn Gallery in Washington D.C.

Giacometti's sculptures are beautiful, in an odd sort of way. While his human figures have realistic features, the proportions are often exaggerated through stretching. Normal looking torsos and arms will often be coupled with very long legs. Perhaps my favorite aspect of these sculptures is the tactile surface of them. There is no question that these beings were pinched, shaped and given life by very skilled, very human hands. They are often very rough with bumps and impressions left in the surface.

I have since resized this drawing and gotten it tattooed on my right upper calf. It is part of a growing band of different, yet similar designs around my leg. Its neighbors are a charicature of the late Hunter S. Thompson by Ralph Steadman, a cave drawing of a Scrab from the Oddworld series of games, and a Bone Cannon from the original Nintendo version of Castlevania. I am looking to close the sleeve with Kang (or Kodos) of Simpsons fame.

Any suggestions?