Norma Redpath

Paesaggio caryatide, 1980–5, is one of many large-scale public sculptures produced by Norma Redpath throughout her career. Initially commissioned by the State Bank of Victoria, Melbourne, it was cast at foundries in Verona and Milan, before being transported to Australia from Italy in five pieces. The Italian title translates to ‘landscape caryatide’. A caryatide is a sculptural female figure that takes the place of a pillar or column as an architectural support. Symbolising classical, Apollonian beauty and strength, the caryatides can be traced back to ancient and archaic Greek architecture. This classical reference imbues Paessagio cariatide with purpose as the monumental work extends upwards and outwards, punctuating the landscape as it supports the sky above the earth. Redpath’s work brings together the classical and the modern in a dynamic abstract form and invites viewers to consider the architecture of the natural landscape with awe and reverence.