National Collection of Contemporary Drawing
The Acrobat II
Piercy, Siobán
1990, graphite on paper, 57 x 76.5 cmSiobán Piercy (1957-) teaches printmaking at the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, and continues to exhibit work both in Ireland and abroad.
The figurative subject of Siobán Piercy’s Acrobat II is not anatomically correct – the limbs are not correctly proportioned. Piercy’s drawing is not an academic anatomical study; it is an expression of a body in motion, a body caught in a tumble. Acrobat II is a representation of a very dynamic instant in the life of this human being. The artist uses line to suggest movement; to infer that this action takes place over time. The frenetic lines around the body emphasise both the direction and speed of motion. The figure is rotating backward, the heels will travel over the head.
Piercy’s vigorous mark-making reflects her background as a print maker. Traditional printmaking focuses on line and contour, making printmaking a very good medium for an exposition of drawing.
