Egyptian Motif

Egyptian Motif exemplifies Alexander Archipenko’s experimentation with form and space by adapting Cubist painting concepts to sculpture. A round hollow suggests one of the female figure’s breasts; it seems to protrude as an effect of light playing off the sculpture’s concave and convex surfaces. Archipenko’s incorporation of an open void into the figure’s head allows the viewer to look through the form, suggesting shape through its absence. Archipenko observed in retrospect, “I did not take from Cubism but added to it,” reflecting upon his important, but under-recognized, role in Cubism’s development.