Stoic, a new work by Breuer-Weil, has been installed in Mayfair, London, outside The Westbury Hotel on Conduit Street. It is the latest in a series of works by Breuer-Weil to contemplate the history of philosophy this full figure wears the scars of its production like medals of honour to the art of creation. The surface, made initially in plaster before being cast into bronze, is inscribed with aphorisms and maxims belonging to the artist and many famous thinkers from antiquity to present day. The legs connect the mass of the torso to the heavy feet as if propelling its existence directly out of the earth. In the artist’s words:
“Stoic is a towering bronze figure that exemplifies human endurance. I wanted to create a figure that appeared like a timeless weathered totem, who has armoured himself against the challenges of life but is also awake with needs and longings. The surface is filled with pictograms and short sentences such as ‘I want, I am’. This is a reinterpretation of Descartes’ famous dictum ‘I think therefore I am’. Stoic is the fifth work in my Philosopher series and the only full figure; the others are busts. The figure is raw life and energy. In the process of its creation I smashed up large sheets of plaster and reassembled them, Stoic is like a human Phoenix rising from the wreckage of modern life.”
