Eastre - Hymn to the Sun, 1924 (brass)

Casting brass at this date was relatively unusual, although the British sculptor Frank Dobson (1888-1963) had made a head of Osbert Sitwell the previous year. Fergusson may well have been aware of this work but had cast brass himself for a number of years. On this occasion Fergusson's use of brass was symbolic, creating the effect of a golden, glowing orb that he intended to represent, 'the triumph of the sun after the gloom of winter'. In keeping with these thoughts, Fergusson also stylised the head and later described it in the following way 'The head is composed entirely of sections of a sphere - the forehead is round, the eyes are round, the cheeks round, hair represented by two pads...all the same idea...the effect of the sun... - round shapes express for the artist, 'Suns', fullness, open eyes, women's breasts, apples, peaches, health and overflow'.