ART@TWO_SENSER: Richard Macdonald - Magical Energies

World-renowned sculptor Richard MacDonald draws inspiration from Cirque du Soleil in a beautiful celebration of the human form.

How can the fluid movements of dance be captured in a medium as rigid and static as sculpture? No one answers this better than artist and sculptor Richard MacDonald, who seems to have made that fusion of opposing forces his trademark. 

Many of his best-known works have been of celebrated performers and athletes – his sculptures seem to capture the very essence of movement, emotion and reaction. “I’ve always loved to dance myself,” he says. “So when I watch dancers move, I have an innate sense for what they do.”

His latest collection, Magical Energies, centres on that most breathtakingly graceful and dextrous performing troupe in the world: Canada’s Cirque du Soleil. These works are the result of his being given exclusive access to the company. This rare privilege was the result of MacDonald striking up a fast friendship with Cirque creator Guy Laliberte. And it soon led to a rich vein of inspiration.

“Who wouldn’t be captivated by Cirque du Soleil?” asks the 66-year-old American. “Being able to know the Cirque performers as friends – to see them training, playing, laughing, in and out of character and costume – this experience gives richness and authenticity to my work,” he declares.

Born in 1946 and raised in California, MacDonald was introduced to art as a child by his graphic designer uncle. He enrolled at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where he trained in professional arts before embarking on successful career as a commercial illustrator. This abruptly came to an end in his late 30s, when a fire destroyed his studio. Literally left with a clean slate, MacDonald decided to focus on sculpting after he created a sculpture study to better understand a painting. Within 10 years, he had become one of the most collected sculptors in the US. One of his most famous works is The Flair, a sculpture of a gymnast created for the 1996 Summer Olympics.

The sculptor believes his lack of formal training in that specific discipline actually helped in his success. “I was able to explore and invent my own sculptural vocabulary with a fresh eye,” he says. Working with Cirque du Soleil turned out to be physically challenging to both model and artist. MacDonald’s technique famously involves drawing and sculpting his subjects over and over again, often requiring them to repeat a specific dance move or gesture.

“I work with great physical intensity and rapidity. It is as much a ‘workout’ for me as it is for my athletic models,” he describes. “My oil-based clay is warmed, so it can be easily manipulated. And nothing can slow down the connection between my model, my eyes, my hands and the clay. Sometimes, I will set up several stations of clay and work from one to the other, to capture different phases of a dancer’s movement.”

MacDonald begins each with a thought, an idea or feeling. He creates a loose study of his subject in clay, typically about a quarter life size. This is then refined and sharpened before being “scaled up” to full size. After this, plaster moulds are cast, a wax replica is made and refined, before molten bronze is poured into the finalised cast. Once cooled, the bronze is released from the casing, chemicals are then hand-applied, and the heat of a blowtorch is used to create a patina. The finished sculpture is then affixed to a marble base.

 MacDonald is especially excited when his giant sculptures are displayed in public areas. like busy shopping districts and high streets. 

“They’re best enjoyed at a 360-degree rotation,” he says. MacDonald’s study of the human form is infused with movement and magic.  

“I am able to translate that experience into a sculpture that carries with it that spark of life.