Figure Sitting

Marion Perkins was one of Chicago?s foremost Renaissance sculptors and was known for his compact and expressive carved stone heads and figures. Using stone from derelict city buildings, Perkins transformed his rough found materials into realist forms skillfully carved in a manner similar to European modernist sculptors and believed the style befit the African American themes he chose to represent. Figure Sitting, with its evenly polished surface and compressed form, is an early work predating a more mature style the artist developed in the 1940s and 50s. While a juxtaposition of textures is more evident in later works, Figure Sitting is no less emotive with its striking expression and pensive posture.