The multi-figure composition “Apple” from the Volzhsk Art Gallery collection was created by the sculptor Yevgeny Gusev in 1990.
The sculpture shows two girls standing hand in hand, facing the viewer, and a boy standing with his back to the viewer. All three figures are placed on one stand. The girl, standing to the right, holds a small round apple by its stem with her fingertips.
Gusev made the sculpture of epoxy resin and had it bronze-tinted. So the work became less decorative and looks like a finished sculpture rather than a preparatory work.
Sculptors have been using this technique for many centuries. Craftsmen disguised less expensive materials as bronze, cast iron, terracotta, or marble by toning. For example, back in the 18th century, there were various techniques and methods for toning plaster sculptures. The Academy of Arts archives had a list of plaster casts for sale mentioning three types of plaster sculpture: “varnished white”, i.e. imitating marble, fake-terracotta, and fake-copper. The sculptures were covered in gold ochre and bronze powder to imitate gold bronze; silver was reached with whitewash and tin powder, and the effect of ordinary bronze was achieved by applying a primer and brown paint in various shades.
The epoxy resin, which was used for the “Apple” sculpture, is a complex organic compound — an oligomer that turns into a very hard polymer material once a hardener is added. As a general practice, it is a rapidly curing liquid that becomes a semi-transparent plastic as it hardens. It can be tinted by adding pigment directly into the mixture or applying it to the finished product.
Yevgeny Gusev was born in Tbilisi on December 26, 1953. In 1978, he graduated from the Saratov Art College, at the same time launching his artistic career. He worked in the genre of small-scale sculpture, creating works in plaster, bronze, and epoxy resin. In 1982, Gusev joined the Artists’ Union of the USSR, participated in many state and All-Union exhibitions. His most famous works were “Grandfather and Grandson”, “Farewell”, “Girl with a Dog”, “Gymnast”, “White Snows”, “Among Friends”, “On a Raft”, and “Milkmaid”.
The sculpture shows two girls standing hand in hand, facing the viewer, and a boy standing with his back to the viewer. All three figures are placed on one stand. The girl, standing to the right, holds a small round apple by its stem with her fingertips.
Gusev made the sculpture of epoxy resin and had it bronze-tinted. So the work became less decorative and looks like a finished sculpture rather than a preparatory work.
Sculptors have been using this technique for many centuries. Craftsmen disguised less expensive materials as bronze, cast iron, terracotta, or marble by toning. For example, back in the 18th century, there were various techniques and methods for toning plaster sculptures. The Academy of Arts archives had a list of plaster casts for sale mentioning three types of plaster sculpture: “varnished white”, i.e. imitating marble, fake-terracotta, and fake-copper. The sculptures were covered in gold ochre and bronze powder to imitate gold bronze; silver was reached with whitewash and tin powder, and the effect of ordinary bronze was achieved by applying a primer and brown paint in various shades.
The epoxy resin, which was used for the “Apple” sculpture, is a complex organic compound — an oligomer that turns into a very hard polymer material once a hardener is added. As a general practice, it is a rapidly curing liquid that becomes a semi-transparent plastic as it hardens. It can be tinted by adding pigment directly into the mixture or applying it to the finished product.
Yevgeny Gusev was born in Tbilisi on December 26, 1953. In 1978, he graduated from the Saratov Art College, at the same time launching his artistic career. He worked in the genre of small-scale sculpture, creating works in plaster, bronze, and epoxy resin. In 1982, Gusev joined the Artists’ Union of the USSR, participated in many state and All-Union exhibitions. His most famous works were “Grandfather and Grandson”, “Farewell”, “Girl with a Dog”, “Gymnast”, “White Snows”, “Among Friends”, “On a Raft”, and “Milkmaid”.
