Step (Stap)

About this artwork.

Step is the more-than-life-sized and highly stylised body of a young girl; barely pubescent and anonymous due to the absence of head, arms and hands. She stands proudly upright. Academy lecturer Peter Stut made the bluestone plinth, reminiscent of a catwalk.
 
The posture and stylised depiction are characteristic of Siepman van den Berg's sculptures. She is particularly interested in the laws of the human body and the abstraction that arises from the omission of individual characteristics. A chemical process gives the bronze its almost black anthracite colour. 
 
The classical look and styling are reminiscent of sculptures from early Greek art. The strict symmetry, which is only interrupted by that one forward leg, which also refers to Egyptian sculptures. The placement at the art academy is certainly no coincidence, because for a long time drawing using models and classic examples formed part of the standard curriculum.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Eja Siepman van den Berg

• District
  Centrum

• Year of creation
  1984

• Art type
  Freestanding sculpture

• Material
  Bronze, Natural stone

• Dimensions
  h 2,00 m; sokkel h 0,40 x b 0,64 x d 5,00 m