WP3: Fourth Post

After researching the background of my sculpture and its sculptor, my perceptions of “Story” have altered dramatically. William King grew up in Florida where his father was an engineer and his mother a school teacher. He father actually built the house that they lived in which inspired William’s brother Blake to become an engineer. His father dealt with many bits and pieces and was able to construct them in a suitable manner. This heavily influenced King’s work through set pieces that had slots to connect them. Researchers have divided King’s career into two sections, before “Self” and after “Self”. During his first ten years he constructed sculptures that were based on observations of people. He used abstraction to convey satirical or political arguments. However, most of these pieces were one entity and were made out of similar materials. The 1957 sculpture “Self” was a career defining creation that embodied both his past work (abstraction of observations) and future work (attached and assembled creations). I feel as if “Story” and “Self” are cousins because the both employ long legs, a fragile appearance, a uniform outer skin, and a mock-hero contemplating his life story.

King had many influences in his life, but one of the most prominent was his mother. Viewed as a powerful and respected woman by King, his mother told him to follow whatever path he wanted. One grand example of this is when his mother gave him $100 and told him not to come back to Florida for 20 years. She wanted him to chase his dream of becoming an artist and for him to create his own path. It seems that he had a deeper connection with his mother than his father, possibly because his father worked long hours and was more compatible with his brother, Blake. In his sculptures, King portrays women as powerful and confident with abounding charm and delight. Men are shown as exaggerated beings bent on success, even if that requires rudeness or aggression. Women are shown as more straightforward while men will put on “societal disguises” to get what they want. Using this information, I am still a little divided when assessing “Story”. While the sculpture does comply with King’s affinity for “figures of society”, it has attributes of both sexes. Evidence such as the cigarette and disproportionate body parts point to a male character, while the long leg symbolizes power and is usually a trait of women. However, when one factors in that he was heavily influenced by the females in his life the decision leans in the feminine direction.

Overall, this is a classic King piece for the post-“Self” era. It embodies his juxtaposition of human warmth and social artificiality and contains set pieces that have been crudely put together. Taking simple human gestures and flipping their meaning upside down is a King trait that is present in this sculpture. Also, using aluminum helps contribute to a lightweight and delicate feel that appeals to pathos of delight and lightheartedness.