ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SCULPTORS
OF THE 20TH CENTURY
Harry Jackson has enjoyed a stunning career
spanning five decades.
By Emily
Van Cleeve
In 1953 sculptor
Harry Jackson wrote, Though abstraction is basic to all art, there
is a deeper human vision I must express. A year later he sailed
to Europe to study the art of the old masters and learn the meaning of
tradition. During the late 1950s the once abstract expressionist painter
began transforming himself into a sculptor. Jackson is now considered
one of the most significant sculptors of the twentieth century, with works
in museums worldwide.
Eighty-two year old
Jackson has enjoyed a stunning career spanning five decades. His childhood
dream was not to become an artist but to live the life of a cowboy, and
he tried to accomplish his goal by hitchhiking form Chicago to Wyoming
at the age of 14. When World War II broke out, he didnt have a chance
to fulfill that dream. However, his love for the west, its history and
mysteries, has been captured in his heartfelt and soulful sculptures of
cowboys, Indians, and the animals they loved.
Horses practically
gallop off their pedestals. Life-like soldiers carry the thoughts and
emotions of battle in their war-torn faces. A massive herd of cattle reminds
us of the trials and tribulations of life on the range. Viewing Jacksons
work is like taking a step back in time with a master artist and historian
well-versed in the intricate details of the players in the old western
landscape.
Jacksons career
as a sculptor was born out of a commission for two major paintings, Stampede
and Range Burial, destined for the Whitney Gallery of Western
Art in Cody, Wyoming. The small wax and clay models he crafted to help
him solve compositional problems in the paintings became fascinating pieces
on their own. By the time Jackson had signed a contract for delivery of
his work, it included two paintings and a bronze sculpture of each subject.
His magnificent bronzes
are created using the ancient and traditional 6,000 year old method of
lost wax casting. Jackson has been frequently asked to explain his method
of casting. Since he couldnt find an appropriate book to recommend
to his inquirers, he wrote his own. Lost Wax Bronze Casting, which
was first published in 1972 by Northland Press in Flagstaff, Arizona,
contains detailed descriptions of each step of the casting process.
During the late 1960s
and 1970s Jackson created some of his most memorable work. Pony
Express was made in 1967 and Stampede was completed
in 1969. Time Magazine commissioned him for the cover of its August
9, 1969 issue. The Marshall one of Jacksons most
beloved works, celebrates John Waynes Academy Award-winning role
as Rooster Cogburn. In 1986 it became part of the Metropolitan Museum
of Arts Twentieth Century Collection.
As a result of the
Time Magazine cover, Jackson and Wayne became good friends. In
1970 Wayne narrated a 50-minute documentary for television entitled Harry
Jackson: A Man and His Art. After Waynes death, Jackson was
commissioned to create a powerful 21 foot tall monumental equestrian for
the national headquarters of the Great Western Financial Corporation in
Beverly Hills. Jimmy Stewart dedicated the piece, titled The Horseman,
in 1984.
Jacksons work
is in collections worldwide including the American Museum of Great Britain
in Bath, England, the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma,
and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. President Ford admired
Jacksons work so much that he presented the sculpture Two
Champs to Queen Elizabeth during our countrys Bicentennial.
It was the first piece of fine art ever given by the United States as
a Gift of State.
A limited number
of galleries have the privilege of representing Harry Jacksons work.
At Michael Wigley Galleries the famous sculptures Pony Express
and Flag Bearer II are on display. One of the five polychrome
sculptures ever made of Stampede has an honored place in the
gallery. Jackson has become famous for his polychrome bronzes, which have
three or more colors on them. While Jackson is a master of sculpture,
his heart is also attached to the application of color on surfaces. He
says, I was born a painter, and Ill die a better one.
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