NEW YORK BEGINNINGS
GORILLA 1955 Fired clay 5" high
This GORILLA is the only sculpture left of the ones I made before college. With its bulk and movement emphasized by its faceted surface, it is figurative and abstract.
PORTRAIT HEAD 1960 9 ½” high
Made in plasticine, cast in plaster. The white spot at the hairline is a chip showing the plaster.
Made in plasticine, cast in plaster. The white spot at the hairline is a chip showing the plaster.
This portrait head, made in a class in figurative sculpture at Columbia University’s extension program, is probably the most realistic of my sculptures.
Columbia College did not deign to give actual hands-on art classes even to their art-major boys (there were no girls at Columbia when I went there, and yes, we were called boys and girls in those days). We were restricted to Art History classes, some of which were with outstanding teachers such as my favorite, Prof. Meyer Schapiro.
Studio courses were taught by practicing artists in Columbia’s School of General Studies, but were not given for College credit. I took a couple of figure classes in my sophomore year with an “old” Italian sculptor (I’m sure he was much younger than I am now) who taught in the classical method. Before working from live models, we learned how to build armatures for standing and sitting figures, and to sculpt muscles in their proper interactions and measurements from plaster models and from illustrations of human musculature. This was a long and well-supervised process of acquiring a knowledge of anatomy, which I did not use much beyond these classes and soon forgot.
The one piece I have retained from that class is this portrait of a model who sat for us for many weeks, I believe, and though it is less than life-size, I still recall using calipers as I measured his facial proportions. I also remember that in the days I was modeling him in Plasticine, I studied faces on my subway rides in a very purposeful way, for structure rather than for superficial appearance.
We also learned the art of multiple-part plaster casting, and this plaster head is one result. The patina is a mixture of wax and graphite with a bit of color powder. It has survived for over 55 years.
Columbia College did not deign to give actual hands-on art classes even to their art-major boys (there were no girls at Columbia when I went there, and yes, we were called boys and girls in those days). We were restricted to Art History classes, some of which were with outstanding teachers such as my favorite, Prof. Meyer Schapiro.
Studio courses were taught by practicing artists in Columbia’s School of General Studies, but were not given for College credit. I took a couple of figure classes in my sophomore year with an “old” Italian sculptor (I’m sure he was much younger than I am now) who taught in the classical method. Before working from live models, we learned how to build armatures for standing and sitting figures, and to sculpt muscles in their proper interactions and measurements from plaster models and from illustrations of human musculature. This was a long and well-supervised process of acquiring a knowledge of anatomy, which I did not use much beyond these classes and soon forgot.
The one piece I have retained from that class is this portrait of a model who sat for us for many weeks, I believe, and though it is less than life-size, I still recall using calipers as I measured his facial proportions. I also remember that in the days I was modeling him in Plasticine, I studied faces on my subway rides in a very purposeful way, for structure rather than for superficial appearance.
We also learned the art of multiple-part plaster casting, and this plaster head is one result. The patina is a mixture of wax and graphite with a bit of color powder. It has survived for over 55 years.