Frederick Hart

Frederick Hart (1943 – 1999) was an American sculptor, best known for his public monuments and works of art in bronze, marble, and clear acrylic (a technique he coined as "sculpting with light"). ImageMetadata File history File links Frederick_Hart. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Frederick_Hart. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Sculptor redirects here. ... This article is about the metal alloy. ... For other uses, see Marble (disambiguation). ... Structure of methyl methacrylate, the monomer that makes up PMMA Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or poly(methyl 2-methylpropenoate) is the synthetic polymer of methyl methacrylate. ...

Biography

Hart was born in Atlanta in 1943 while his father was serving in World War II. His mother died suddenly when Hart was three years old and he was subsequently cared for by his mother's family in rural South Carolina during his early childhood years. He moved to Washington, D.C. when his father remarried in the early 1950's where he attended public school. At age sixteen, he was admitted as a philosophy major to the University of South Carolina. This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Official language(s) English Capital Columbia Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32° 2′ N to 35° 13′ N  - Longitude 78° 32′ W to 83... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of South Carolina, Columbia (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a public, co-educational, research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. ...

Hart returned to Washington, D.C. with a desire to study art and attended the Corcoran College of Art and Design and American University where he studied painting and drawing. Later, after sculpting a bust of a girlfriend, he realized that sculpture provided a form of drawing that possessed weight, volume, presence and gravity. The Corcoran College of Art and Design, founded in 1890, is the only professional college of art and design in Washington, DC. The school is affilliated with the Corcoran Gallery of Art. ... For other universities known as American University, see American University (disambiguation). ...

As his interest in sculpture began to flourish, Hart became an apprentice stone carver at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. working on gargoyles. Washington National Cathedral was the site of two Presidential state funerals: for Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald W. Reagan, and a presidential burial in the cathedral mausoleum: Woodrow Wilson. ... Gargoyles redirects here. ...

In 1971, while Hart was still working on the stone of the cathedral, an international competition was announced to find a sculptor for the cathedral's west facade. After three years of work and at the age of thirty-one, Hart was commissioned to create The Creation which has been described as "the most monumental commission for religious sculpture in the United States in the twentieth century." ¹ Hart converted to Catholicism late in life. Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ...

It has been said that Hart was the greatest figurative sculptor since Daniel Chester French. "He not only created works of great beauty and gravitas, he was singularly responsible for restoring to American public monuments and memorials an iconology worthy of a great nation." ² The Creation of Adam, a figurative work by Michelangelo Figurative art describes artwork - particularly paintings - which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational. ... Daniel Chester French Signature, Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American sculptor. ...

Hart's relationship with the art establishment was mixed. During most of his lifetime, the "mainstream art world" was dominated by non-traditional movements such as Pop art; figurative sculpture was out of fashion and Hart's heroic and religious style was out of step with the art magazines and museum curators of the times. Hart never had a major museum show or retrospective during his lifetime^{[citation needed]}. Just What Is It That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing? (1956) is one of the earliest works to be considered pop art. ...

Despite this, his acrylic sculptures (generally cast in limited editions of several hundred and selling for around US$ 3000) were very successful in commercial art galleries, earning him a steady and significant income. Due to his widespread popular appeal and successful public works, by the end of his lifetime Hart was rapidly gaining in recognition and his bronzes (as of 2006) sell for several hundred thousand dollars.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The contrast between Hart's popular appeal and his differences with the art establishment can also be seen in the controversy over the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national war memorial located in Washington, D.C., that honors members of the U.S. armed forces who had died in service or are unaccounted for during the Vietnam War. ...

The design competition was won by Maya Lin's abstract dark stone contemporary design, chosen by a panel of eight professional artists and architects. Lin's design was very much in line with art establishment thinking; Lin stated that the design "evokes feelings, thoughts and emotions . . . it does not scream anything . . . it is different."[1] Visitors at Vietnam Veterans Memorial Maya Ying Lin (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; born October 5, 1959) is an American artist who has become known for her work in sculpture and landscape art. ... Kazimir Malevich, Black square 1915 Abstract art is now generally understood to mean art that does not depict objects in the natural world, but instead uses color and form in a non-representational way. ...

Protest by many Vietnam veterans and several influential politicians resulted in the commissioning of a bronze piece by Hart, The Three Soldiers, to be added to the memorial complex. This piece is of course in Hart's far more traditional heroic figurative style. This article is about veterans of the Vietnam War. ... The Three Soldiers Statue The Three Soldiers (also known as The Three Servicemen) is a bronze statue on the Washington, DC Mall commemorating the Vietnam War. ...

Interestingly, this piece caused further controversy, embroiling Hart and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund in various legal actions; see the article on the sculpture for further details. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is dedicated to remembering those who served in Vietnam and to maintaining the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. ...

Notable works

• The Three Soldiers sculpture - Located at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Dedicated in 1984.
• The Creation - Located at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Dedicated in 1990.
• President James Earl Carter sculpture - Located at the Georgia State Capital building in Atlanta, Georgia.
• Senator Richard B. Russell sculpture - Located in the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. Dedicated in 1996.
• The Cross of the Millennium - An acrylic sculpture presented to Pope John Paul II in 1997 in honor of 50 years of priesthood.
• Fauquier County Veterans' Memorial, Operation Desert Storm - Warrenton, VA, 40' bronze collaboration with sculptor Jay Hall Carpenter, 1991.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national war memorial located in Washington, D.C., that honors members of the U.S. armed forces who had died in service or are unaccounted for during the Vietnam War. ... This article is about the year. ... Washington National Cathedral has been the site of three presidential state funerals: for Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald W. Reagan, Gerald R. Ford and a presidential burial for Woodrow Wilson and a memorial service for Harry Truman. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Order: 39th President Term of Office: January 20, 1977–January 20, 1981 Preceded by: Gerald Ford Succeeded by: Ronald Reagan Date of birth: October 1, 1924 Place of birth: Plains, Georgia Date of death: Place of death: First Lady: Rosalynn Carter Political party: Democratic Vice President: Walter Mondale James... This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... Richard Russell can refer to several people: Richard Russell, Sr. ... This photograph, taken from southwest of the building, shows the main entrance along Constitution Avenue, N.E. The rotunda of the Russell Building featuring the sculpture by Frederick Hart. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Coat of Arms of Pope John Paul II. The Letter M is for Mary, the mother of Jesus, to whom he held strong devotion Pope John Paul II (Latin: , Italian: Giovanni Paolo II, Polish: Jan PaweÅ‚ II) born   []; 18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) reigned as the 264th Pope of... For the band, see 1997 (band). ...

Awards and accolades

• In 1985 President Ronald Reagan appointed Hart to a five-year term on the Commission of Fine Arts, a seven-member committee that advises the U.S. Government on matters pertaining the arts, and guides the architectural development of the nation's capital.
• In 1987 Hart received the Henry Hering Award from the National Sculpture Society for sculpture in an architectural setting, shared with architect Philip Frohman (National Cathedral work).
• In 1988 he was the recipient of the quadrennial Presidential Design Excellence Award (Vietnam Memorial work).
• In 1993 Hart received an honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts from the University of South Carolina for his "ability to create art that uplifts the human spirit, his commitment to the ideal that art must renew its moral authority by rededicating itself to life, his skill in creating works that compel attention as they embrace the concerns of mankind, and his contributions to the rich cultural heritage of our nation."

This article is about the year. ... Reagan redirects here. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Pediment on Severance Hall Henry Hering was an American sculptor who was born New York City on February 15, 1874 and died there on January 17, 1949. ... Founded in 1893 the National Sculpture Society was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. ... Philip H. Frohman (born November 16, 1887) was an architect who is most widely known for his work on the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Category: Architect stubs ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ...

Gallery

See also

• Vietnam Veterans Memorial
• The Three Soldiers

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national war memorial located in Washington, D.C., that honors members of the U.S. armed forces who had died in service or are unaccounted for during the Vietnam War. ... The Three Soldiers Statue The Three Soldiers (also known as The Three Servicemen) is a bronze statue on the Washington, DC Mall commemorating the Vietnam War. ...

External links

• The official Frederick Hart website
• The Frederick Hart Collection at Jean Stephen Galleries
• The Frederick Hart Collection at Trinity Gallery in Atlanta
• National Park Service page for the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial
• Histories - The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

References

1. Tom Wolfe, Frederick Hart: Sculptor, 1995, Hudson Hills Press ISBN 1555951201
2. James Cooper, Editor and Publisher, American Arts Quarterly