From mold to bronze — art with soul and precision: sculpture materializing the balance between human form and organic expression.
Artist
Uldis López — Master Founder
Cuban master sculptor specialized in figurative and monumental sculpture. His work explores the balance between classical human form and contemporary expression.
Recognized for his technical mastery in bronze and ability to capture movement and emotion in dynamic compositions
Project History
Project Story
Harmony represents one of Uldis López’s most refined explorations of dynamic balance in figurative sculpture. The work materializes the tension between opposing elements: rigidity and fluidity, structure and movement, containment and freedom. The figure appears suspended in a moment of perfect balance, capturing the aesthetics of arrested movement where stability and transformation coexist.
The Artistic Vision
For López, the concept of “harmony” transcends simple visual symmetry. It is an organic balance where each formal element—posture, mass, void—contributes to a sensation of dynamic unity. The female figure adopts a posture suggesting simultaneity: grounded yet ready to rise, at rest yet containing potential energy.
The composition explores the idea that technique is also art. Every technical decision—from balance engineering to the direction of surface textures—serves the artistic narrative of elevation and transformation.
The Technical Challenge
The casting process faced the fundamental challenge of materializing a sensation of lightness in an inherently heavy medium like bronze. R.U.N. Art Foundry worked in close collaboration with the artist to develop a structural engineering solution that would allow the figure to appear to float or rise, maintaining minimal contact with the base without compromising physical stability.
Weight distribution required precise calculations of center of gravity and support points. The contact base was reduced to the minimum perceptible, creating the optical illusion that the figure barely touches the ground. This invisible engineering is an example of how technical excellence serves artistic vision.
Patina as Narrative
The patina application in Harmony uses a specialized technique of controlled chromatic gradients, one of R.U.N. Art Foundry’s areas of specialization. The transition from dark tones at the base toward more luminous finishes in the upper zones is not decorative, but visually reinforces the concept of elevation.
The process required multiple layers of chemical patina applied with temperature and pH control to achieve smooth transitions without visible bands. Micro-surface textures were directed through specialized manual finishing to guide the viewer’s eye on an upward journey, from the terrestrial base toward the elevated expression of the figure.
Millimetric Fidelity
As with all lost-wax casting projects executed by R.U.N. Art Foundry, Harmony preserves every detail of López’s original model with absolute fidelity. Skin folds, expression lines, variations in muscular tension—all elements that define the artist’s sculptural language—were captured in bronze through high-definition molds and millimetrically controlled casting processes.
This fidelity is not only technical but artistic: it allows the sculptor’s original intention to remain intact in the final material, demonstrating that the casting process is, in itself, an act of respect and artistic continuity.
Legacy and Impact
Harmony is currently in a private collection, where it continues to explore the dialogue between material and form, weight and lightness, permanence and movement. The piece represents R.U.N. Art Foundry’s commitment to technical excellence in service of artistic vision, demonstrating that each project is an opportunity to elevate the standard of artistic bronze casting. (S1) (S3) (S5)
Technical Specifications
- Materials: Silicon bronze (high corrosion resistance alloy)
- Patina: Multi-layer gradient chemical patina (dark base tone → luminous upper). Application controlled by temperature (120-180°C) and pH (6.5-7.2)
- Dimensions: Height: 1.60 m | Contact base: ~15 cm diameter | Total composition extension: 1.85 m
- Weight: 180 kg (bronze weight) | Distribution: 70% upper mass, 30% lower mass (balance engineering)
- Year: 2018
- Location: Private collection, United States
- Casting Method: Lost-wax casting with high-definition silicone molds
