Iron Man 8.    Jordi Bonet
(Canadian, b. 1932, Spain - 1979)
Iron Man, 1972/73
Commissioned by the Art Purchase Committee for Duncan McArthur Hall, 1972

Located in front of the south entrance to Duncan McArthur Hall

Jordi Bonet was born in Barcelona and moved to Quebec in 1954. He is known for large ceramic murals, in which rustic, sometimes representational imagery similar to that used in Iron Man is deployed. This work was commissioned on the completion of Duncan McArthur Hall and was made specifically for this location. In Iron Man, Bonet attempts to reconcile twelfth-century Romanesque and twentieth-century Cubist aesthetics. The triangle patterns decorating the smooth surfaces at the top of the sculpture are reminiscent of Picasso's use of similar motifs, while other textures suggest the rustication on Romanesque sculpture and fortifications. As well, the proportions of the work recall the massive, upright figurative sculptures of the Romanesque period. The result is a decorative combination of modern and medieval sensibilities.

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