MODERNIST PAIR OF LARGE MALE/FEMALE HAND-CRAVED WOODEN BUSTS IN AMERICAN WALNUT, UNSIGNED, 

(Circa early 1930's-early 1950's)

Mid-Century Modern

This pair of hand-carved early Modernist male and female busts, executed in American walnut, sit on heavy, large tapered blocks. They are monumental and have real presence. The mannerism and plasticity of the sculptures, reminds one of the figuration of the early 1930's to early 1950's, where at least in the United States, figurative art and a celebration of labor and the human predicament in industrialized, capitalist society, preoccupied early Modernist artists, who were often sympathetic to the social condition of workers and the plight of the American poor. Before the High Modernist aesthetic revolution in New York, which supplanted Paris, as the de facto art center of the world, there was this. Representation and figuration, along with a humanist preoccupation were king until the non-referential, non-representational abstractionists dispensed with this earlier collective artistic aesthetic. Here, a similar aesthetic as social-realism, so prevalent until the Second World War, appears to be the guiding force behind this pair of sculptures. The walnut is hard and lends itself to assertive carving. The backs of the heads seem to exhibit some bleaching, as they may have been placed in front of a window and exposed to sunlight. The heads are in glorious condition though with only the very extremes of the blocks, showing any abrasions or flea bites. One of the busts has a drying fracture, which does not impede viewing of the sculpture and is normal for solid wood sculpture to occur over time. The pieces are untouched and were only wiped down with a fine sable brush and clean cotton cloth. No attempt has been made to disguise or remedy any issue. They are as they were, a blast from our Modernist, humanist, figurative past. They are glorious and they are magnificent. Unlike other works of art, they won't quit on you and will continue to give pleasure and delight. 

DIMENSIONS: 

Male: 15 ½ " Height x 6 ½ " (Widest point/base) x 6 1/2" (base/Depth)

Female:  15 ½ " Height x 7 ½ " ( face Width ) x 6  ½ " (base/Depth)

CONDITION:

Very Good/Excellent overall vintage condition. Only the lower edge of the bases, show signs of wear and any flea-bites or abrasions. Otherwise, the busts themselves are in terrific shape with one bust showing a drying or stress fracture, quite common in solid wood sculpture.