“The Dare”

Limited Edition Bronze Sculpture

September 2016

Conceived approximately three years ago, “The Dare” began simply as a desire to work on something large scale. It was decided that a family on a park bench would be the perfect way to highlight Richard Stravitz’s particular skills with the human form and the emotions that body language conveys.

The mother with her two sons was inspired by a family known to the artist facing the devastation of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease.) Although the father does not appear, he is omnipresent as the head of this unit wherein a light hearted moment is immortalized in the midst of sadness and uncertainty.

ALS affects 30,000 Americans. There is currently no cure. In this fashion, “The Dare,” which originated as a large scale project, has taken on a larger scale meaning.

As the mother dozes on what one imagines is a warm summer afternoon, the older son “dares” the younger to tickle her nose with a feather. The real beauty in the piece is that the security family imparts is never eroded – even in the face of tragedy. The boys know that they are loved and that it is safe for them to be mischievous. Their mother can close her eyes for a time and relinquish the hypervigilance that chronic illness requires. She even relaxes enough to let one shoe slip.

All is well in the moment…a summer day, an outdoor reading session and the irrepressible joy of youth.