Morante’s sculptures often deal with solitary figures, rendered in a classical style but placed in unconventional compositions and seemingly engaged in defining moments.  Relative, a title that indicates multiple meanings, is made of two identical male figures cast from the same mold and mounted horizontally on opposite sides of a steel post.  The ground plane is flipped on its side and the contemplative figures do not mirror each other, posing questions about perspective, both literal and philosophical.

 Scaling (or rather descending) the brick wall of the Seward Johnson Center for the Arts is G. Frederick Morante's sculpture Nude Descending the Stare Case.  Morante's new, slightly larger than life-size work of art is based on a smaller version of Nude Descending the Stare Case that the artist created in 1993 that was on display in the sculpture park's Water Garden.  The smaller sculpture is just over 3 feet tall and cast in bronze.  Morante's desire to increase the size of the work to nearly 7 feet was made possible through the use of digital technology wherein computers and specialized software allow artists to laser-scan and digitally enlarge models or smaller works.  The digital models are then translated into foam by a state-of-the-art mill—the finished work retains all of the intricate details of the model while reducing the cost of production and the amount of time it takes to create a large-scale work of art.  Morante's sculpture is executed in foam and is finished with LuminOre wherein liquid metal is sprayed onto the sculpted foam resulting in a work that is lightweight and weather durable.  Nude Descending the Stare Case was created at the Digital Atelier, a division of the Johnson Atelier in Mercerville, NJ.

 Morante's female nude is rendered in a classical style.  She finds herself situated in an unconventional composition and is seemingly engaged in a rather defining moment.  For Morante, the unique placement of the figure is a characteristic feature in many of his works; and likewise, his works demand introspection.  In Nude Descending the Stare Case, the female figure is shown dismounting the “pedestal” (or wall) upon which she was posing, perhaps claiming her independence and joining the viewer on the ground.  The title is a play on words and an allusion to the similarly titled painting by Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending the Staircase.  Moreover, Morante proposes a tongue-in-cheek comment on the traditional objectification of the female nude as portrayed in art and social histories.

Originally from San Diego, California, Morante earned his undergraduate degree from the State University, followed by a year studying foundry techniques in Pietrasanta, Italy.  Currently, Morante works at the Johnson Atelier—he came to the organization in 1977 as an apprentice, prompted by late sculptor Herk Van Tongeren, who had been his professor in college.  Morante has exhibited extensively at colleges and galleries within the tri-state area, and has been an instructor for numerous workshops held at a variety of educational facilities including Grounds For Sculpture.

Relative, 2003
cast bronze, steel
144" x 144" x 18"
Courtesy of The Sculpture Foundation, Inc.
Photo: Malgorzata Mosiek

Nude Descending the Stare Case,
2007
mixed media, stainless steel, cold cast brass
91” x 25” x 18”
Courtesy of The Sculpture Foundation, Inc.
Photo: Ricardo Barros.com