Icarus (Frail Wings Of Vanity) (T-10-12)

Name: Icarus (Frail Wings Of Vanity) (T-10-12) — JOHN VAN ALSTINE SCULPTURE
Brand: JOHN VAN ALSTINE SCULPTURE
Availability: InStock

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March 2010. Slate, pigmented and sealed steel. Dimensions: 34 × 43 × 9 in (86 × 109 × 23 cm).

Icarus – Frail Wings of Vanity (2010)

Icarus – Frail Wings of Vanity draws on the Greek myth of Icarus, whose ambition and disregard for his father's warnings led him to fly too close to the sun, melting his wings and sending him crashing into the sea. The myth serves as a metaphor for human ambition, hubris, and the often precarious relationship between aspiration and consequence.

The sculpture combines a massive, wing-like slab of slate with industrial steel elements, suspended above a curved, vessel-like form. The dramatic imbalance suggests both the exhilaration of flight and the inevitability of a fall. Through the interplay of weight, balance, and arrested motion, the work explores the fragile boundary between human achievement and overreaching ambition.

March 2010. Slate, pigmented and sealed steel. Dimensions: 34 × 43 × 9 in (86 × 109 × 23 cm).

Icarus – Frail Wings of Vanity (2010)

Icarus – Frail Wings of Vanity draws on the Greek myth of Icarus, whose ambition and disregard for his father's warnings led him to fly too close to the sun, melting his wings and sending him crashing into the sea. The myth serves as a metaphor for human ambition, hubris, and the often precarious relationship between aspiration and consequence.

The sculpture combines a massive, wing-like slab of slate with industrial steel elements, suspended above a curved, vessel-like form. The dramatic imbalance suggests both the exhilaration of flight and the inevitability of a fall. Through the interplay of weight, balance, and arrested motion, the work explores the fragile boundary between human achievement and overreaching ambition.

Initial layout and various arrangements during construction - Wells studio 2010