For years I have followed Marie-Thérèse Tsalapatanis’ work with great interest. I remain amazed by her neverending inspiration and the constant renewal in the variety of shapes and techniques with which she conceives her work. Alwaysthe woman. La Femme (The Woman) and her four elements: la Terre (Earth), l’Air ( Air), la Mer (the Ocean). Is Fire absent? No, it burns the onlooker’s eye. It is perceived through the tension that resides within the bodies of Flamme (Flame), Ailleurs (Elsewhere), Veilleurs (Watchers). The woman again, erect, conquerer of her space , Papillon (Butterfly), Flamme (Flame), Offrande (Offering), motherly nature generously offered, the embodiment of ancient mother Earth, Maternité (Motherhood), Médee (Medea), mermaid outbound for initiatory voyages, Figure 4, Naiade. They are all in waiting and filled with hope. Dreams too. In most recent pieces, Grèce (Greece) returns with this invariable perceptible strength that never ceased to inhabit shapes: serpentine shapes, shapes made of rolls and coils, Figure Courbe (Curved Figure), Eve ( Eve)). The subjects proclaim Caryatide (Caryatid), Sphinx (Sphinx), and Médee (Medea), curious, massive body from which hang clusters of faceless children whom death will erase.
Techniques have also changed. The chisel ever more piercing, it sculpts flat surfaces on the bronze which has been vigorously beaten, leaving sharp edges that the hand has jolted across. The material is reduced to its barest expression, making itself so discreet, as if wishing to become mere spirit. The work invariably evolves towards spirituality, sole boundary that this artist has been tenaciously pursuing in the scientific realm of her workshop.
Lauriane d’ Este Art historian