Richard MacDonald American, b. 1946

Cloaked in mystery, the female form of Nightfall intrigues us. Concealed is a beautiful face, but like nightfall itself, all is not revealed. The globes in each hand suggest the arrival of night and the passage of day, but also reference the idea to put the past behind us, and open ourselves to the future. Poised on the scythe shaped moon, the figure of Nightfall strides with strength and purpose. Our eye follows the organic curve of the drapery from the top of the head to the base, a device that generates movement in the piece, countering the direction of the stride and creating dramatic visual tension.

Warm, silvery, and rare, the platinum patina of this distinctive series by Richard MacDonald creates a play of light that heightens our sense of the underlying sculpted form.  Contemporary in conception and limited to editions of only eight, with some works featured as one-of-a-kind, this body of work reveals the essential beauty of the human form.  As mercurial as human nature itself, light glances off the platinum creating dramatic shadows that seem to strengthen form and enhance the sense of life captured by the artist.