Peter Pongratz

Girlie, 2003

Artwork Brief Description

Pongratz’s *Girlie* playfully distorts the human form, subverting expectations of femininity. The figure’s exaggerated proportions, misplaced shoes, and wicker-basket-like torso challenge conventional depictions of the female body. Lacking arms, the sculpture interacts with its environment, as tree branches behind it seem to extend from its body. Pongratz’s background in multiple artistic disciplines informs this whimsical yet thought-provoking piece, which reimagines the human figure in surreal ways.

Girlie, 2003

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Peter Pongratz (Austrian b.1940) Piccola Ragazza (Girlie) , 2003

Peter Pongratz is a polymath within the art world. His practice spans not only painting and sculpture but also music stage design as well as being a published author. His work is characterised by a multidimensional approach, seamlessly integrating elements from all of these artistic disciplines. Girlie is a perfect example of this, showing his ability to both challenge and redefine traditional modes of figurative representation.

In this abstract bronze sculpture, Pongratz begins with a realistic depiction of a young woman in a pair of Mary Jane shoes. Immediately, alarm bells ring as the shoes appear to have been placed on the wrong feet. Or perhaps the feet have been placed on the wrong body? Rather than continuing with conventional proportions befitting a young girl, where her ankles would be, we see two plank-like forms emerging from the shoes.

Not only that, but instead of knees, our eyes are met with what appears to be a wicker basket, also serving as a skirt. This deliberate distortion subverts traditional perspectives and presents the viewer with disproportionately short legs and an elongated torso that is reminiscent of the Italian master, Alberto Giacometti, and his elongated figures. The shoes and “skirt” are the only two visibly feminine characteristics of the sculpture, with its large square head and bird-like features being markedly androgynous.

Notably, Pongratz’s figure is devoid of arms, and yet the branches on the tree behind her create an illusion of outstretched arms as if she is poised for an embrace. This interplay of sculpture and surroundings is key to Pongratz’s oeuvre and adds an additional dimension to his innovative Girlie. It is a sculpture full of contradictions; from the title to the top of its head, the viewer is compelled to challenge their own preconceived expectations of what stands before them.