Expressionist carved wood head sculpture exploring faith, instability and the fragility of human conviction.

“Portrait of a Believer” is a unique contemporary figurative sculpture by Spanish artist Joan Priego, combining carved pine and beech wood with a visible steel spring structure that introduces subtle movement and physical instability into the work. The sculpture presents an expressive human head suspended above its base through an industrial spring mechanism, creating a tension between psychological intensity and structural precariousness.

Hand carved and polychromed using stucco, oil and wax, the piece preserves the raw tactile qualities characteristic of Priego’s practice. The intentionally irregular surface, visible carving marks and earthy pigmentation reinforce the emotional and material presence of the figure, while connecting the work to traditions of expressionist sculpture, folk carving and existential figuration.

The unstable movement generated by the spring becomes central to the sculpture’s conceptual framework. The figure appears to oscillate perpetually between certainty and doubt, transforming the portrait into a meditation on belief systems, ideological fragility and the unstable foundations upon which conviction is often constructed. The work balances irony and vulnerability, questioning the apparent solidity of faith while preserving a deeply human emotional dimension.

Working predominantly with reclaimed and transformed wood, Joan Priego develops sculptures and paintings concerned with identity, memory and psychological tension. In this piece, the combination of organic carved wood and industrial steel creates a striking dialogue between fragility and resistance, permanence and collapse.

Unique piece. Carved pine and beech wood, steel spring, stucco, oil and wax polychromy. Spain, 2022.

Original handcrafted sculpture with an intentionally raw and expressionistic finish. Visible carving marks, irregular pigmentation and surface variations are inherent to the artist’s process and should not be considered defects.