Monday, February 18, 2013

A Presidential Sculpture for Presidents' Day


A Presidential Sculpture for Presidents' Day
Post by: Jennifer Chapman Smith
              Collections and Exhibitions Manager
 
Happy New Year!

We took a brief hiatus from blogging but are now back and ready to bring you exciting things from the WCMFA collections inventory project.

In honor of Presidents’ Day, we thought it would be nice to show off one of the WCMFA’s great sculptures that honors President Abraham Lincoln.

 
John Gutzon Borglum’s (American, 1867 – 1941) Head of Abraham Lincoln was sculpted by the artist in 1929 and was gifted to the museum in 1931 by Mrs. Anna Brugh Singer, who founded the museum with her husband William Henry Singer, Jr.
 
Dr. Elizabeth Johns writes of the piece:
  
“Borglum’s sculpture of Lincoln reveals his close study of photographs of the President. The knit brows, hooded eyes, full lower lip, sunken checks, and even the wart on his lower right cheek place the brooding man before us. Carving the head directly into the stone in emulation of such masters as Michelangelo, Borglum emphasized the right side of Lincoln’s face, which he considered the more expressive. The sculpture, created more than 60 years after the end of the Civil War and by an artist who was born after the war, is a testimony to American society’s enduring preoccupation with Lincoln. Known for his monumental sculpture carved into Mount Rushmore, Borglum considered this portrait, the original study for his head of Lincoln in the Capitol, as among his finest work.”
 
This wonderful sculpture is currently on view in the museum’s Smith Gallery as part of the Nineteenth Century Art exhibition.  
 
 

1 comment:

  1. My name is Mrs Nadia Albert from Russia, And i am a happy woman today through the help of a Loan lender, Mr Russ Harry. I will refer any person that is looking for loan to this Loan firm. He gave  happiness to me and my family, i was in need of a loan of $500,000.00 to start my life all over as i am a single mother with 2 kids I met this honest and GOD fearing man loan lender that help me with a loan of $500,000.00 US Dollar, at a low Rate. He is a God fearing man, if you are in need of loan and you will pay back the loan please contact him Via E-mail-Elegantloanfirm@hotmail.com /Whatsapp number+393511617486

    ReplyDelete