Salomé welcomes every visitor who enters The Orient in the
Francolin Conservation Area. The sculpture contributes to the
atmosphere of beauty and serenity created by the combination of art works,
landscape and interior design. The visitor immediately comes under the
impression that The Orient is an institution with a deep appreciation of
aesthetics and the positive impact it has on its guests. It is this
appreciation that provided tangency between sculptor Tienie Pritchard and the
owners of The Orient. They found this common ground long ago and through the
years it developed into a firm and beneficial relationship.
Tienie Pritchard's career as a professional sculptor spans a period of 38
years. During these years he completed many public and private commissions, but
no other party played such an important role in the realization of his art than
the owners of The Orient. The creation of sculpture does not rely only on the
talent and skill of the artist. Production costs and the time needed to
complete a substantial piece of sculpture make it almost impossible for the
sculptor to produce works of art without sponsorship. Everybody knows, for
example, that the rich legacy of sculpture Michelangelo left behind would not
be there for mankind to enjoy if it were not for the sponsorship of the Medicis
in Florence and the Pope in Rome.
The Orient's contribution towards the creation of Tienie's art goes further
than mere progress payments. The motivational interest and involvement from the
conception of the maquette up to completion of the bronze, regular visits,
photo shoots and lively discussions carry it through. The sculptures in the
public spaces of The Orient, for example, were commissioned without any
specific prescription of subject. Tienie had the freedom to create to the
satisfaction of his own muse. One of the results was Salomé, where Tienie
depicted a theme for which he has great passion, and which emerges in many of
his sculptures, and that is the nude or semi-nude female figure, illustrating
the cultural history of mankind as represented by a specific historical (and
usually controversial) personality.
The Mermaid and the Dolphins, which will be erected in the pool in the
reception area of the Spa, illustrate another favourite theme namely the
interdependence and symbiosis between man and animal. The mermaid not only
interacts with the dolphins, but herself is a mythological being where man's
feeling of kinship with animals resulted in an imaginative physical fusion
between man and animal. Tienie's interest in man's cultural history is shared
and stimulated by the owners of The Orient, and many Pritchard sculptures
resulted out of this mutual passion.
Tienie’s latest addition to The Orient’s collection has recently been completed
in clay. Although it will take another few months to complete the casting
process, he has granted us a preview. We photographed him in his studio with
some of the figures that will be assembled into a single composition. The work
is entitled “The Marriage Market” and depicts a slave market somewhere in the
Orient round about 1800.
During one of Tienie's visits to the site when The Orient was still under
construction, the owners referred to the ambiance they planned for the building
as "The Orient Experience." Today Tienie is very proud to have been able to
contribute towards this experience. The Orient brings art and the benefit of
aesthetic surroundings to the people - a feat that art museums and galleries
seldom achieve. Tienie often receives telephone calls from visitors who saw his
sculptures within the ambiance of The Orient Experience and it is always
clear from their comments that it left a deep and rewarding impression.
The Orient's collection of Tienie Pritchard sculptures is representative of a
lifetime of work and is as much a legacy of The Orient as it is a legacy of
Tienie Pritchard.
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