Invocation II - Theodore Roszak

A bronze sculpture by Theodore Roszak, featuring organic, claw-like forms and a heavily textured, pitted surface.

Invocation II, created by Theodore Roszak in 1962, represents the shift in the artist's practice from geometric construction toward organic, visceral forms. Roszak, born in Poland and raised in the United States, moved away from his earlier industrial aesthetic during the post-war period. He began to favour the malleability of bronze, allowing for a more expressive, tactile surface quality that reflects the anxieties of the mid-twentieth century. The sculpture features a central, vertical axis that supports branching, claw-like appendages. The surface is heavily textured, showing the marks of the casting process and the artist's manipulation of the molten metal. This rough, pitted finish creates a play of light and shadow across the form, giving the object a sense of weight and presence. The silhouette suggests biological or skeletal structures, yet it remains firmly within the realm of abstraction. The work does not represent a specific figure, but rather evokes a sense of ritual or archaic power through its jagged, upward-reaching composition. Roszak's approach to bronze casting involved building up the surface with layers of metal, which he then worked back into with tools. This method results in a dense, crust-like appearance that contrasts with the open, airy spaces between the limbs of the sculpture. The base provides a stable, circular foundation, grounding the more chaotic, expansive upper section. By balancing the aggressive, sharp protrusions with a symmetrical arrangement, Roszak achieves a tension that is characteristic of his later sculptural output. This piece demonstrates his ability to transform industrial materials into objects that possess a raw, emotional quality, moving beyond simple representation to explore themes of growth, decay, and transformation.