The sculpture is loyal to it's name, presenting itself as an attractive female torso. But there is a twist. It lacks arms, legs and a face, which forces the eyes to focus almost exclusively on the breasts and lower female genitalia. It is a fascinating piece of artwork with many symbolic themes and rhetorical arguments boldly sending their message to the world.
But to completely understand Torso and what it represents, we must take a look at William Zorach and the time period in which he created this sculpture.
Zorach was born in Eurburg, Lithuania in 1889, before immigrating to Ohio two years later as a toddler. By the time he became a teenager, Zorach was taking art classes at the Cleveland School of Art and the National Academy of Design.
He continued studying art during his youth and decided to travel the world to learn about different types of art. It was on one of his trips that he met Margeurite Thompson, whom he later married and settled down with.
During the 1920's Zorach experimented with a variety of art, including wood, oil painting and carving. Rejecting Renaissance Naturalism, Zorach generally ignored surface detail and was an artist who instead focused on the simple things to send a clearer message.
In 1932 Zorach created Torso from a solid mass called Labrador Granite. This material is renowned for it's hardness and difficulty to sculpt, meaning that any details we see on Torso took a lot of effort to create and have a purpose. The material is also dark brown, which gives Torso and the woman it represents the skin color of a minority.
When the skin color is observed on the violent and broken female body that is Torso, it only strengthens the notion that this piece of art is a message about women, race and sex. In the 1930's when Torso was created, African Americans had no rights. Segregated schools and communities meant that for most minorities, life was full of poverty and disrespect simply based on the color of skin.
When you look closely at the back of Torso, you see hundreds of little nicks and cuts on the woman's back. For an artist that generally ignored surface detail, Zorach clearly went out of his way to establish a connection between the African American woman he was portraying, and the form of punishment slaves endured in the 19th century; whippings and lashings that left scars for a lifetime.
These markings create pathos by causing an emotional effect on it's audience. We feel compassion and pity for this human that has endured such a terrible act. But there is also an emptiness because without a face, we feel no human connection. It's almost like this woman is a sexual object and not a person. Perhaps this was intentional; a snapshot of how people viewed women in the 1930's. Like a wounded animal, we feel pity for this creature but can live with it because it is not human.
Like the color of Torso's skin, it is no accident that the violent and broken body that is Torso belongs not to a man, but a woman. We have to remember context, and realize that Zorach grew up in a time where women were not equal to men. They lacked equality in the law, in the work force and in their expected role from society.
Just a few years before Torso was completed, women did not even have the right to vote. Domestic violence was generally tolerated. Women were expected to be a good house wife to their husband and to take care of the kids. Their entire identity was defined at the moment of birth because they were a woman.
So what did Zorach think of minorities and women? For an artist that pays so much attention to the detail he does include in his work, it is interesting that he created the broken female body of a naked woman, who is only represented by her breasts and lower sexual organs. Oh, she has no head. A violent gesture which also demonstrates the removal of her voice from society.
This form of ethos eliminates her identity. Torso can't give an opinion, speak freely or contribute her ideas to the world. She is silent, and not by choice. Her voice has been violently taken from her.
But Zorach didn't stop there. He cut off the arms and legs of Torso, which renders it useless to society. Without hands, a woman can't work or be productive in the world. And without feet she is stuck, unable to find her way on her own. And because Torso is restricted and handicapped, she is essentially a burden to society.
To put it bluntly, it seems that the only thing Torso is good for is sex. Zorach is sending a message that women can't do much in a world dominated by men. .
But at the same time, I don't believe Zorach felt this way. He was simply portraying the views of society. Consider how many hours he must spent perfectly sculpting the woman's breasts and female genitalia. In his mind, women were clearly beautiful and a gift to the world. It was society that was taking away their rights, their voice and their freedom.
But things have changed since 1932 for African Americans and women. A perfect example of this came in 2008 when the United States elected it's first African American President in Barack Obama. We also have the most influential woman on television; a woman named Oprah Winfrey. These are examples of a world more tolerant and accepting of women and minorities than ever before.
But Zorach must have known that Torso would outlive him. He must have known that his audience would change and that people from the future would view his artwork. And because of that, he must have intended on reminding his audience of the dark and evil world in which Zorach emerged from. He did not want us to forget the sins of his time.
And we can't forget because the fight isn't over. Minorities still lack full equality in the United States. Gays and lesbians face their own civil rights movement as they fight for equal marriage. And worldwide, millions of people are oppressed because of their skin color. Slavery still exists and racial genocide is still common in many parts of the world.
And so Torso is still relevant. It had a powerful message in 1932 that still needs to be heard today. There are millions of broken human beings out there who have no voice, who have no power.
But we can change that, for we know that when people come together and take action, anything can happen. That is how we elected an African American leader of the free world.
In the words of Barack Obama
Yes We Can.
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