144 - MARIO IRARRAZABAL (Santiago de Chile, 1940)

MARIO IRARRAZABAL (Santiago de Chile, 1940) "Couple and chair". In bronze. Signed. Measurements: 25 x 22 x 19 cm. Work of marked symbolic intensity in which two human figures merge into a single vertical volume, stripped of anecdotal features and reduced to a formal synthesis characteristic of Irarrázabal's language. The presence of the chair -an everyday object charged with meaning- introduces a subtle narrative dimension, associated with waiting, absence or memory. The expressionist treatment of the modeling, together with the patina of dark and greenish tones, reinforces the sensation of introspection and silence. As is usual in the Chilean sculptor's production, the human figure becomes a vehicle for reflection on the existential condition, the relationship between the individual and the emotional bond, and the fragility of presence. Mario Irarrázabal was educated in the United States at the University of Notre Dame, where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Art and Philosophy and a Master's degree in Fine Arts. He later continued his studies in Rome and in Germany, where he worked with the sculptor Waldemar Otto. Since 1969 he has been fully dedicated to sculpture. He has been a professor at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and a scholar of the German government at the Atelier-Haus Worpswede. Although he also develops pieces of intimate format, he is internationally known for his monumental sculptures, especially his famous hands installed in cities such as Punta del Este, Venice, Madrid or in the Atacama Desert. He has received numerous awards and recognitions in biennials and international competitions since the 1970s.