Male Standing Figure – The Priest

Location

Country: Other
City: public exhibitions

Carved from palisandre, the finest type of rosewood characterised by variations of deep purple, brown and red, Male Standing Figure – The Priest by Ronald Moody embodies confidence and authority. Echoing the column of wood from which it was carved, the robust figure stands with his feet firmly planted on a wooden base, the muscular forms of his legs swathed in a long piece of fabric and his arms held closely to his body. Expressing an air of Zen-like solemnity, the figure seems caught in a moment of contemplation or prayer. 

 

Moody carved this sculpture at his studio at 134 rue de la Tombe-Issoire, Paris, between May and June in 1939. Having moved to the city in the previous year, he enjoyed a productive period of work, until 1940 when he was forced to flee just before Paris fell to the Nazis. Travelling over the Pyrenees into Spain, Moody reached England in October 1941. While many of his sculptures were abandoned in Paris, some, including Male Standing Figure – The Priest, and his carving tools, were hidden in the studio of his friend, the artist Kobus Hooykaas. After the War, Moody retrieved his works and in November 1950, a solo exhibition of his work was held at the Galerie Apollinaire in London. The Ministry of Works purchased this sculpture from the exhibition and since then, the work has been displayed in British government buildings in London. In 2003 the sculpture formed part of a new display of Moody’s work at Tate Britain; and in 2019, it featured in the exhibition, Get Up Stand Up Now at Somerset House, London.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Ronald Moody arrived in London in 1923 to reluctantly train as a dentist. However, during a visit to the British Museum, he saw examples of Egyptian sculpture and was inspired to teach himself to be a sculptor. After experimenting with materials, he eventually chose wood as the primary medium of his work. Moody was an active member of several organisations including the Caribbean Artists Movement, and the Council of the Society of Portrait Sculptors in London. In 1977 he was awarded the Musgrave Gold Medal, Jamaica’s highest cultural award; followed by the Jamaica Institute Centenary Medal in 1978 for his contributions to art. Until his death, he actively exhibited work and broadcasted widely on radio.

Places

Subjects

man, priest

Materials & Techniques

palisandre wood, wood figurine

Artist

Ronald Moody (1910 - 1984)

Title

Male Standing Figure – The Priest

Date

1939

Medium

Wooden figurine

Dimensions

height: 75.00 cm, width: 27.00 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from Galerie Apollinaire, November 1950

GAC number

1206