Photos Courtesy: ©2016 Lothar Sprenger Diploma Photographer Dresden.

Malgorzata Chodakowska. Email: Chodakowska@gmx.net or visit www.skulptur-chodakowska.de.

In “The Godfather Part II,” Michael Corleone meets Apollonia Vitelli and it’s love at first sight. His Sicilian bodyguards call it being struck by “The Thunderbolt.”

We felt similarly, but for a different reason, upon first encountering the incredible work of sculptress Malgorzata Chodakowska. The feeling wasn’t love, it was more like shock at the depth of her talent, and awe at her mesmerizing creativity and what she has accomplished.

Chodakowska was born in Poland, studied sculpture in Vienna, and now lives and works in Dresden, Germany. She has won many awards for her work, and has exhibited in Russia, Poland, Denmark, Austria and Japan. 

She works in bronze, and her sculptures spring to life when water is turned on. Look at the Medusa in a garden setting; she’s tossing her hair as women with long hair are apt to do after a shower or a swim. 

Then there’s the very young ballerina with water forming her tutu skirt, and a young boy with a paper hat; he reminds us of Huckleberry Finn, feeling the spout of water with his bare foot – just a little rascal.

A lady holds the stem of a large plant, while its leaves serve as an umbrella with rainwater dripping from its sides. Water forms a fan in the hands of another youthful figure, and an angel with wings of water and a tranquil expression on her face embodies the peace that can be found in a garden setting. 

Chodakowska makes water – the fountain – an integral part of her work, as important to her sculptures as the bronze in her figures. Her work is designed to bring art and beauty into the garden, into the outdoors, and thus water should be part of it. 

A person of few words, Chodakowska says of her work, “I am addicted to pleasure. That’s why I carve beautiful people.”