Unbuilt: The Attic

Robert Egert, Unbuilt, Conté on paper, 23" x 32", 2010

Robert Egert, Unbuilt, Conté on paper, 23″ x 32″, 2010

The artist sits to admire the completed sculpture. It is taller than the door and so heavy it can only be budged with the greatest effort. Summer has arrived. The attic is like an oven and smells of plaster and tempera. The lights only make it hotter, so he turns them off and sitting in the dark, he listens to the footsteps of people walking on the street outside. Envisioning his next piece, he realizes that he will have to destroy this one to make room for it.