When I saw Meta Warrick Fuller's sculpture, Talking Skull, I was completely taken in. What a poignant portrayal of a very real desire that most of us have encountered at least once in our lives: the desire to speak with a loved one who has passed on...at least one more time. The raw emotion exposed on both the boy's face, and in his posturing combined with his near nakedness, implied complete truth and honesty. It's as though he wanted to bare his soul to his loved one and perhaps be told, "it's okay" or as evidenced by his hands touching the loved one's chest: to be held and reassured.
Many times, I've wished that I could speak to my father one more time and to feel his strong arms around me in a loving embrace. I completely identified with this sculpture and it exposed my emotions in a very real way. I relived the loss and emptiness of my father's death and my desire to hold him, seek his advice and hear him say, "I love you" once more.