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June Moon (sculpture)

Other Names

Malvern City Square , The Sun and the Moon

Location

High Street corner Glenferrie Road MALVERN, Stonnington City

Level

Included in Heritage Overlay

Statement of Significance

Paul Juraszek's work is a complec amalgam of diverse influences and styles, including ancient Egyptioan, Greek and Hindu art. His symbolism fuses elements of these religions in a contemporary manner, which has both an apparent sophistication and an underlying naivety. When asked if he saw himself as a Post-Modern artist, he replied that he 'Never thinks about it one bit' Yet this work will probably be seen as the first example of Post-Modern sculpture in Melbourne.
The commission is also significant as an imaginative project, partly funded by the Visual Arts Board of the Australian Council, [which provided finance for the maquettes] with the sculpture jointly paid for by the Malvern Council and the developert Hudson Conway. In size, cost, prominent position and provocative subject matter it is the most adventurous sculpture commission yet given by any subruban council in Melbourne. In a fascinating way the sculpture also reveals the political attitudes of the period. The artist originally proposed only one male figure - the Mayor Janice Carpenter requested the inclusion of a female figure, and the artist was requested to make it of equal height. The sculpture makes a classical link between the Classical Revival style of the 1889 Town Hall and the 1989 Neo-Classical commercial development.

Group