Meijer, Erwin

What young sculptors are still prepared to go to extremes when it comes to technique and finish? Erwin Meijer is a member of that select group. He creates bronzes with the feeling for detail of a violin maker. Anatomical perfection, exquisite detail and supreme quality of casting result in sculptures of sheer dedication without compromise. But this is not the entire story. Nor will this story ever be told, because Erwin Meijer’s sculptures, however well-crafted their detail, ultimately remain unfinished stories. His figures are engrossed in activities, without being aware of the spectator. Meijer portrays them at their moment of inspiration, or as they collect their thoughts or are concentrating upon their surroundings.

We are mere witnesses to an intimate moment of which we are no part. The maturity of Erwin Meijer’s sculptures is striking. This is the result of his approach: he works on several sculptures simultaneously in a given period. By switching his attention from one work to another, he repeatedly affords himself a fresh look, which sometimes leads to rigorous changes. Thus, Meijer’s sculptures are allotted ample time to “ripen” into well-balanced, inspired works of art. Erwin Meijer (1968) studied at ArtEZ University of the Arts at Arnhem.