nant topic remains the same: the genesis of light, of water, of
the earth. Also the drawings, accompanying the now mature
sculptural work, have to be seen in the same context, They
form a relaxing compensation for the lengthy and also physi-
cally strenuous efforts when creating the large statues.
A journey to Greece in 1981 introduces — through the startling
impression of landscapes, temples and changing intensity of
light — a new phase of productivity: the antique world is turned
'nto a sensuous experience to be translated into innovating
forms. At the same time Malin returns to the theme of life's
cycle. He gives it physical expression in the bud, the flower and
the fruit. Still, these never appear as mere stylized pieces of
mimicry, they rather impress by their symbolic vigour and orig-
inality. But from piece to piece there are only minor variations;
much more importance is attached to the nuances. And even if
Malin’s few, but nevertheless expressive nudes and portraits
-ealized in the eighties bear more resemblance to nature, they
still attract one’s attention by their unusual intensity. The tech-
nical competence and know-how as well as the depth of plastic
oerception allow Malin from now on to create some works in
stone. They vary greatly, which leaves the impression that the
artist experiments with different possibilities of sculptural
shapes. The smaller bronze statues ofthis period show atend-
ency that characterizes also Malin’s sacralart: a predilection for
geometrical forms such as squares, rectangles, pyramids and
sircular segments — all forms which point to numbers being the
basic key to a possible explanation of the universe.
Darticularly the cube and the treatment of its faces — five of
them are detached from the ground — has been fascinating
Malin for the last two years. It is a new intellectual challenge that
makes the sculptor continue his artistic studies. He now uses
his father’s stucco spatula on plaster blocks, he moulds the
material by hand, draws, cuts, scratches and scrapes, all in
srder to reveal further visual and spiritual qualities of the cube.
Its discovery and transformation into a harmonious shape
gives Georg Malin the possibility of dealing with matter, and
both the forces and the laws of the world in a creative way.
Barbara Malin