Ghiorgo Zafiropulo Sculptor & Philosopher

The dancers of Ghiorgo Zafiropulo attempt to represent the dynamics of movement, and thus, in addition to the three dimensional space of the subject, the fourth dimension, that of time, fascinates him. So he named them in most cases by the academic name of the movement and not by the names of the prestigious artists who perform. These are easily identifiable for the discerning connoisseur both by their anatomy and the expressiveness of their attitudes. The works of art reveal excellent technical mastery that allows the artist to express his outstanding modelling powers. The modelling displays the structural finesse of the anatomy, the muscular tension and more subtle concepts such as spirituality. By varying the type of finish, depending on the type of work, such things can be represented in a single piece.

 

Ghiorgo Zafiropulo was particularly impressed by the quality of the School of American Ballet and the New York City Ballet led by the very talented dancer, teacher and choreograph George Balanchine.

 

His early sculptures of dancers start in 1963 with masculine figures from these ballet companies. First George Balanchine, in honour of his school, in "Attitude Classique" and its sequel André Prokovsky, from the same school in "Sur le Coup de Pied".

Following this in 1965 and 1966 he produced two sculptures of Kay Mazzo and Mimi Paul of the New York City ballet: "Die Lanserin" and "La Lillabella".

 

Subsequently the years 1966 and 1967 were particularly productive. It was mostly Russian dancers of the Kirov and Bolschoi Ballets who inspired him. He produced works mounted on plexiglas, spectacular and elegant leaps of Yuri Soloviev, Nora Kovach and Rudolf Nureyev defying the laws of gravity. He also produced a "pas de deux" inspired by Ekaterina Maximova and Vladimir Vasiliev, stars of the Bolschoi. Another sculpture "Manège", with structure close to that of a Degas, the model is Yuri Vladimorov, a further piece "Pas de Bourée" was again inspired by the talented Nora Kovach.

 

In 1967, 1968 and 1969 he sculpted three "pas de deux" from different ballet companies; "After Eden" represents Adam and Eve on their expulsion from Paradise, portrayed by Lone Isaksen and Lawrence Rhodes of the Harkness Ballet. This work introduced spatial representation combined with lyrical expression of spirituality. This was followed in 1968 by the second "pas de deux", "L'Homme et son Ame" inspired by a work of Bach. In 1969 he produced a third "pas de deux" , "Paradis Perdu" representing Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev, the same subject of Adam and Eve. These three works, at the summit of his art, are linked to his religious works. They also echo his classical education with the great masters of sculpture whose iconography was essentially biblical or mythological.

In 1992, after a long period of reflection he resumed sculpture and attempted a "pas de trois" an imaginagy ballet position he had always dreamt of achieving.