Profile Canto VI
By Ernest Trova
Category: Sculpture
About
Trova’s Profile Canto series evolved from his Falling Man series, which became increasingly blossom-like. The more organic Profile Cantos are composed of round, metal petal forms. The sharp projections and sweeping curves of the Profile Canto series seem to extend the body of the Falling Man figure into space like a shadow, and early works in this series incorporated a small FallingMan. From the front, the Profile Cantos appear to be purely abstract geometric forms, but there is a figure hidden in each of them. The word “canto” in the title, defined as a division in a long poem, emphasizes the fact that each sculpture is a further study in Trova’s ongoing exploration of the Falling Man. Each flower-like sculpture was modeled first in cardboard, then sheet metal, and finally in Cor-ten steel, adding to its organic nature.
About the artist:
Ernest Trova
1927-2009
Missouri native Ernest Trova was a self-trained surrealist, pop art painter, and sculptor, and is best known for his “Falling Man” sculpture series. At age 20, he exhibited Roman Boy, his first major painting, and was awarded first prize in the St. Louis Art Museum’s Missouri Exhibition. Several of his other early art pieces were acquired by both the Guggenheim and the Modern Museum of Art in New York City, and the Tate museum in London. Trova has always insisted on consistency of content in his work, along with persistency of application and personal addiction for getting work done. He considered his entire output a single “work in progress.” In 1976, Trova generously donated 40 pieces to the Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, putting it on the map as a popular tourist attraction.
