Stained pine, 1979. 1400x280x280 mm; 55x11x11 inches. Incised signature and date lower edge, verso.
This impressive wood sculpture by Otto Neals incorporates many modern themes--an abstraction of the Madonna figure, a demonstration of the universality of maternal imagery, and a powerful evocation of an African form of sculpture. Neals explained: "My talent as an artist, I believe, comes directly from my ancestors. I am merely a receiver, an instrument for receiving some of those energies that permeate our entire universe, and I give thanks for having been chosen to absorb those artistic forces. I try to paint and sculpt African people, working always to portray those characteristics that are true of their beauty, their power, and their love."
Neals's commissioned sculptures include a bronze at the Brooklyn Children's Center, 10 bronze plaques at the Harlem Walk of Fame and the bronze Peter and Willie in the Imagination Playground, Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Based on the characters by the childrens book writer Ezra Jack Keats, this 1995 sculpture received the New York City Art Commission's award of excellence for design.
