Embrace, circa 1970

The Artist Gift of the artist to the present Private Collection,Toronto

This intricate bronze sculpture was completed by Sorel Etrog in 1970, which was a period of transition for the artist. After being injured in a serious car accident in 1967, the long recovery led to a period of depression in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Etrog had been immersed in his Links series for several years, but he began a new, short-lived series named the Bulls. During this time he made hundreds of black and white drawings depicting bulls in moments of terror and physical pain, inspired by Picasso’s “Guernica” of 1937. In 1968, as his injuries were still healing, Etrog returned to Italy and opened another studio in Florence where he found new positive energy, as is reflected in his transition from the dark Bulls works to his Screws and Bolts period of the early 1970s. During this time his sculptures were strongly influenced by Surrealist artists such as Jean Arp, Salvador Dalí and Man Ray. Etrog began to experiment with a new interpretation of the theme of attachment and connecting devices, shifting from the link to the screw. This untitled bronze work showcases the transition from the link to the screw: two vertical, curvilinear forms are intertwined, typical of the Links series. Yet there are also distinct twisting rings around the centre, which suggest the threading of a screw. Furthermore, the rounded edges along the sides of the sculpture recall the organic abstract forms of Surrealist artists such as Arp. The intimate bronze presents a harmonious combination of Etrog’s inspirations at a very particular transitional phase in his career. This work is a maquette for a 9 foot sculpture in the collection of the Lynden Sculpture Garden in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.