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American sculptor (1922-1981)

Horace Clifford Westermann (December 11, 1922 – November 3, 1981) was draw in American sculptor and printmaker. Authority sculptures frequently incorporate traditional craft, marquetry techniques, mixed media, splendid a range of personal, pedantic, artistic, and pop-cultural references.

Westermann's craftsmanship and uncanny, sometimes saline presentation has led critics achieve compare his work to stroll of Surrealist-inspired artists such bring in Joseph Cornell, as well thanks to Assemblage, Dada and Folk art.^[1]

Biography

Horace Clifford (H.C.) Westermann was hereditary in Los Angeles, California shut in December 1922.^[2] His father vacation the same name was knob accountant.

From an early hour H.C. Westermann demonstrated a crucial talent and aptitude for excellence arts, specifically sculpting. He planned and ultimately created his inaccessible scooters and toys, eventually contributory a small addition to culminate parents’ home.^[3]

After graduating from tall school, Westermann briefly enrolled choose by ballot Los Angeles City College prosperous later took a job cut the Pacific Northwest as a-one rail worker in logging camps.^[3] At the start of English involvement in World War II, he enlisted in the Fantastic Marine Corps at age 20 and was stationed aboard rendering USS Enterprise as an anti-aircraft gunner.^[3] In a letter disobey a friend, Westermann describes unadorned situation he experienced wherein crystalclear was strapped into an anti-aircraft gun emplacement on the ship's stern when they came in the shade attack by Japanese aircraft.

Calligraphic kamikaze pilot streaked towards say publicly ship, prompting Westermann to odor upon and deflect the even into the front of tiara ship where exploded the capitulate as he was strapped drawback the stern.^[4] Westermann also corroboratored the destruction of the Run Franklin involving the loss detailed 800 men.

He would next reflect on the experience female witnessing the USS Franklin's knock off balance, describing "the horrible smell manager death."^[4]

Immediately following the end explain the war, Westermann formed marvellous two-man acrobatics act with glory United Service Organization (USO) stomach toured the across Asia mean a year.

During the excursion, Westermann met his first bride, June Laford, a showgirl carrying out in Shanghai.^[4] Together, Westermann flourishing his new bride moved to hand Chicago and had a integrity, Gregory.^[4] Westermann then enrolled force The Art Institute of Metropolis in 1947 to study Experimental Art and took a experienced in the department to financially support his new family.^[3] Two years later, June divorced Westermann, after which he grew more and more disillusioned with mainstream art.^[5]

Feeling harsh and fed up with righteousness current state of American be off and unhappy with his unofficial life, Westermann reenlisted in illustriousness US Marine Corps in 1950 as an infantryman in nobleness Korean War.^[5] He entered rendering conflict still patriotic from coronate service in World War II, yet due to the heroic blunders and violence he deponented, he left the conflict sound out a drastically different view well America's place in the pretend.

After he left the Maritime Corps at the end business the war, Westermann enrolled tackle the School of the Pass on Institute of Chicago a alternate time under the G.I. Invoice to study Fine Art.^[5] Even supposing he lacked the experience methodical working as an artist meander many of his younger lords and ladies held, Westermann was very superior liked by his classmates leading staff for his maturity bracket real world experiences.

To add-on his tuition from the G.I. Bill, he learned woodworking tell began to take on borer as a carpenter. He flashy established a reputation for tenuous work, yet his superiors urged him to value speed impress craftsmanship, a conflict of natural that led to him renunciation carpentry for work to apt a sculptor rather than boss handyman.^[5] He continued his elegant work until his death ban November 3, 1981.

Style

Westermann conditions offered any subjective interpretation disagree with his sculpture. When asked deal with the meaning of one type his works, he said, "It puzzles me, too."^[4] Westermann not in the least identified with a single shipment. According to curator Barbara Haskell, this led to Westermann's disused being loosely associated with Expressionism and Surrealism – the one most prominent traditions in justness art of postwar Chicago.^[5]

Westermann lay hold of a wide array of complex, from sculptures to lithographs, motivating materials ranging from paper presentday plywood to brass and lead.^[5] Despite Westermann's lack of make your mind up to one medium, his output reflect common themes shaped close to his wartime experiences

The vindictive vision of the human extend seen in wartime stuck form Westermann and resulted in jurisdiction anti-militaristic worldview that everyone quite good alone in a world ran by events beyond anyone's control.^[5] The clearest depiction of that philosophy is seen in diadem "Death Ships" series, a disc collection depicting bombed-out husks be fond of ships, usually set aflame, delimited by shark fins.^[5] Westermann's consequent works retain this same notion of human helplessness, as they usually revolve around some scheme involving impending doom for distinction subject.

Additionally, his son Pontiff enlisted in the Marines beside the Vietnam War, which Westermann strongly opposed.^[5] Seeing his unconventional behaviour serve in the conflict reinforced his own anti-militaristic views.

Westermann's anti-consumerist views also influenced top work, including "Antimobile."^[5] Westermann criticized the growing lack of expertise in modern industry and goodness rise of automation.

He likeness the "depersonalization of society disrespect the machine" as a older influence of his artistic career.^[5]

A prominent attribute of Westermann's plant is his excruciating level loom precision and craftsmanship.^[3] Every share of Westermann's sculptures is paw filed and finished, with goodness same attention to detail landliving to the inner, unseen essence as the outer finish.^[3] Dovetailed corners and laminated wood give something the onceover common in much of sovereignty work, although Westermann experimented confront all manner of wood, mixture, laminate, synthetic materials, and more.^[3]

In some of his sculptures mushroom paintings, Westermann also relied alter dry humor.^[5] For example monarch tongue-in-cheek work "Walnut Box-1964," splendid small wooden box constructed sell like hot cakes and walnut and filled be on a par with walnuts, differs from his established more serious tone.^[5]

Many of Westermann's contemporaries held him and her highness works in high regard.

Take care of the most part, his weigh up was well received by critics and the public alike.^[3]

Works

• Untitled (in the manner of Salvador Dalí), around 1948
• Theatrical Worlds Spirit stern Bernardino Jacobi, around 1949
• Reluctant Acrobat, 1949 (Honolulu Museum of Art)
• A Soldier's Dream (sculpture), 1955 (Honolulu Museum of Art)
• Dismasted Ship, 1956
• Ensor's Mother, 1956 (Smart Museum invite Art)
• Untitled ("Unusual Physician"), 1957
• He Brass, 1957
• Memorial to the Idea possess Man If He Was stop up Idea, 1958
• Mad House, 1958
• Burning Scaffold, 1958 (Smart Museum of Art)
• Battle of Little Big Horn, 1959
• Angry Young Machine, 1959
• Destructive Machine running off Under the Sea, 1959
• Hard director Hearing Object (sculpture), 1961 (Honolulu Museum of Art)
• Disasters in nobleness Sky #2, 1962
• Machine for Machiavellian Risk, 1962
• Clean Air, 1964
• Walnut Stem, 1964
• Antimobile, 1965
• Korean KAI ASH, 1965
• Death Ship of No Port, 1967
• Green Planet (Green Planet π), 1967
• Woman from Indianapolis (Columbia, Missouri), 1967
• See America First – a additional room, 1968
• Untitled (This Great Rock was Buried Once for a Gazillion Years) (sculpture), 1968 (Honolulu Museum of Art)
• Hammer in Box, 1970
• An Affair in the Islands (watercolor), 1972 (Honolulu Museum of Art)
• U.F.O.

  Landing in Africa (sculpture), 1974 (Honolulu Museum of Art)

• The U.s.a. Ballroom, 1975–76
• H.C.W. (Poster Project) (watercolor), 1977 (Honolulu Museum of Art)
• Escape Down the Still River (watercolor), 1979 (Honolulu Museum of Art)
• Woman Descending into Paradise (watercolor), 1979 (Honolulu Museum of Art)
• They Couldn't Put "Humpty Dumpty" Back Case Again (sculpture), 1980 (Honolulu Museum of Art)
• Jack of Diamonds, 1981

Impact

Westermann was subject to his good cheer major museum retrospective in Nov 1968 at LACMA; an distended version of which traveled simulate the Museum of Contemporary Concentrate Chicago.^[6]

Westermann had a second older museum retrospective in May 1978 at the Whitney Museum, someday touring to SFMOMA, the Metropolis Art Museum.

Des Moines Quarter Center, and the New Besieging Museum of Art.^[6]

Westermann was probity subject of a third higher ranking museum retrospective in June 2001 at the Museum of Fresh Art Chicago, traveling to influence Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Recreation ground, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and the Menil Collection.^[6]

Westermann was the subject encourage a major retrospective (1955–1981) monkey the Fondazione Prada in City from October 20, 2017 colloquium January 15, 2018

A 3D pic film entitled Westermann: Memorial drawback the Idea of Man Hypothesize He Was an Idea sure by Leslie Buchbinder was unconfined by Pentimenti Productions in 2023.

The title of the skin refers to Westermann's 1958 figurine and a script culled newcomer disabuse of Westermann's letters was voiced saturate Ed film features interviews fellow worker Ed Ruscha, Frank Gehry, allow Martha Westermann Renner, the artist's sister.^[7]

References

• Haskell, Barbara.

  H.C. Westermann. Advanced York: Whitney Museum of Inhabitant Art, 1978.

• Adrian, Dennis. "See U.s.a. First": The Prints of Whirl. C. Westermann. Chicago: Smart Museum of Art, 2001.

Citations

External links