Enzo Torcoletti

“For the last 45 years I have been primarily involved sculpturally and graphically with the historical, mythological and symbolic implications of the human figure, especially the female form.

I delight in all forms of figurative sculpture and borrow freely from all past and current figurative images. Primitive fetishes, Cycladic idols, Greek deities, Renaissance Madonnas, contemporary movie stars, fashion models and matrons are equally involved in my compositions. I think of my work as a mixture of magical reincarnations of images from the past, rendered in a new fashion with new technology and contemporary design concepts.

The sculptures, whatever their size or configuration, attest to my fascination with the variety that can be achieved within the confines set by the human form and the medium used. It is always my intent to create works that highlight the medium and transport the viewers from past to present to immediate future by engaging their imagination and their intellect.

As a final note, I would like to mention that even in my most serious themes, I strive to eliminate the sublime mysteries associated with some ancient sculptural images by distorting, fragmenting and taming those ancestral relatives into friendly forms that invite the sense of touch.”

Enzo Torcoletti was born in Italy and attended art school there before he moved to Canada where he received a BA in English Literature and a BFA in Sculpture and Printmaking from the University of Windsor in 1969. In 1971, he completed his MFA in Sculpture at the Florida State University and moved to St. Augustine, Florida, where he still resides. He maintains sculpture studios in St. Augustine and in Italy.

Enzo is an innovative young sculptor with traditional ethics of workmanship. He creates vibrant sculptures in stone, wood, and other materials, completing each step of the process himself–from the design sketches to the finished casting. Because Enzo is involved in the entire sculpture sequence from conception to exhibition, the finished piece is truly his creation.

Despite economic pressure to streamline production that faces most sculptors, Enzo maintains complete control over his artistic sculpture output and has mastered the skills he needs to avoid subcontracting portions of the work. For bronze work, he will make his own plaster mold, and then the approximate wax model from which to cast the bronze using sand casting, lost wax process, or specialized techniques and equipment.