Bruno Walpoth
Bruno Walpoth was born in 1959 in Bressanone Italy. He lives and works in Ortisei, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.
Walpoth began his training in the studio of his grandfather and uncle, both of whom carved wooden ecclesiastical figures. His more formal art training began in 1973 when he worked under Vincenzo Mussner in Ortisei. In 1978 he moved to Munich to attend the Academy of Fine Arts where he studied with Professor Hans Ladner until 1984.
In his art, Walpoth combines the education from the studios of Ortisei and their 400-year history of woodcarving with the techniques and forms of contemporary sculpture. Rather than telling a story through his sculpture, Walpoth aims instead to capture an isolated moment of introspection.
The artist does not intend his sculptures to be portraits of his live models. Although he does sculpt the actual physical details of a live model, his goal is to immortalize the moment when the model is simply there, present in form but without thoughts or concerns. His sculptures pose rigidly with their gaze eluding the eyes of the viewer. The impact of this elusive gaze is heightened by the fact that his sculptures are most often in the scale of one-to-one. Parts of his sculptures are often painted in typically muted colors; he uses this coloring to emphasize their clothing, hair or sometimes, their skin.
Most widely known for his sculptures in wood, Walpoth has also produced sculptures in cardboard and bronze. His art has been exhibited in numerous solo as well as museum shows and is widely collected internationally.
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Wood turns into a sculpture
