
Helene Love-Allotey
Head of Department
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Widely considered to dominate the in the animal sculptural arena on a global scale, Dylan Lewis presents us with a striking work, emblematic of his distinctive style, yet wonderfully distinctive from his wider oeuvre.
The sculptor's overwhelming success can be credited not only to the bold technique of his application, but also the sheer passion in which he executes his sculptures. Fed by an intuitive love for the rawness of the African wilderness, his work wholeheartedly reflects his commitment to his subjects. Lewis's devotion the outdoors and wilderness are stooped in his upbringing, holidaying with his family in wilderness and areas of outstanding beauty. These groundings in his artistic process have remained present to this day with a mountain range viewable from his Stellenbosch home. The terrain of the mountainous landscape resonates with the iconic impasto texture that his sculptures adopt.
Robust yet gracefully tranquil, the gravitas of the present work makes it an impactful and striking work. Differing from his other feline studies, the present subject is presented in a resting state, a testament to the sculptor's well-rounded studies and understanding of the leopard form. Resonating with its solitary nature, the leopard became a favoured subject following an interaction he had with a captured leopard kept in a sanctuary near his home. Indeed, beyond their metaphorical reflective presence as the subject of Lewis's work, the subject is here displayed as a wild animal interacting with it's habitat, also bringing attention to the environments threatened existence.