WINTER 2012-2013 On display at Brookgreen Carving Out Your Own Destiny— Gardens, SC A Provocative Idea, Copied One of our members who was vacationing in Florida last winter told me about an inter- esting museum in Winter park—the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens. The museum’s art collection focuses primarily on American representational sculpture and has over 200 works by Czech-born American sculptor Albin Polasek, N.A. The museum itself was his retirement home on scenic Lake Osceola. The Idea Remains The first sculpture you see upon entering the museum grounds isMan Carving His Own Destiny. It is Polasek’s iconic work, and he made several copies of it, including the one at Brookgreen Gardens (top left). And its concept has been copied many times and given various titles by various sculptors. But the idea remains the same. You can see a bronze adaptation of Destiny in front of Chipoltle’s on Excelsior Boulevard near the intersec- tion with Lake Street in Minneapolis. This version, called Self Made Man is by Bobbie Carlyle. It is much more realistic than Polasek’s, which was carved in a Art Deco style in 1908 when he was a student. Polasek’s Impressive Career Born in the Czech Republic, Albin Polasek apprenticed as a wood carver before immi- grating to the U.S. in 1901. He later attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia and the American Academy of Art in Rome. During his influential artistic See this bronze at Excelsor and Lake and educational career, Polasek won many awards for his works and was commissioned in Minneapolis. to create numerous public sculptures that are now found throughout Europe and America. He was elected to the National Academy as an Associate Member in 1927, receiving full academician status in 1933. Polasek dedicated his life to encouraging the study, appre- ciation and furtherance of representational art. Polasek retired to Winter Park, Florida in 1949 after nearly thirty years as the head of the Department of Sculpture at the Art Institute of Chicago. Shortly thereafter he suffered a stroke and was confined to a wheel- chair. Even then, he continued to sculpt, completing eighteen major works until his death in 1965. In 1961, the Albin Polasek Foundation was formed at the sculptor’s request, and his gal- lery was opened to the public as a museum. Since then the Foundation has contributed to the culture of Winter Park and Central Florida in many ways. Contributions include the donation of sculptures to the City of Winter Park and scholarships for collegiate art programs around the country. Dick Poey sculpture that was installed on the fountain. Bill sculpted the female Bill Hueg figure, helmets and boots while Elliot Summons created the male fig- sculptor profile ure and rifle. Dave Parvin sculpted the sand bags and was responsible for obtaining the commission. The original 6 sculptures have been designed and are waiting sufficient funding to proceed. The years of 2011 and 2012 have been very busy for Bill as a sculp- tor. Bill was commissioned by the Rotary Club of Saint Paul to create an 8-foot replica of Carl Milles’ Vision of Peace that resides in Saint Paul’s City Hall. The sculpture was given to the Nagasaki Rotary Club, Saint Paul’s sister city, and dedicated in October 2012. Another over life-size sculpture for the Douglas County Veterans Foundation, located in Castle Rock, Colorado, entitled Freedoms’ Putting finishing touches to Keeper was installed this November, but will be dedicated in the Frolicking Before Dawn spring of 2013. Bill can be reached at his Saint Paul studio most days by contacting Ever since he held his first Crayola, it was evident that Bill Hueg had him at: artistic talent. At two his parents noted that he had keen powers of observation. And by the seventh grade he announced that he wanted Phone 1-720/281-5349 to be an artist—“whatever that meant.” E-mail [email protected] Bill Hueg was born near the Finger Lakes area in New York and was Address Peacock Studios, Inc. reared and educated in St. Paul, Minnesota. During his high school 262 4th Street E, #501 years, he focused on poster and set design and Pop Art. At St. Paul Saint Paul, MN 55101 Technical Vocational Institute he studied commercial art, lettering and billboard design. In 1973, he began studies at Atelier Lack, a tradi- tional fine art school in Minneapolis. In 1978 he started an apprentice- ship at Master Craft Sign Co so he could concentrate on large-format billboard art. In 1984 Bill founded Signs of Distinction and focused on the bill- board art as well as classic, high-end gold leaf lettering and design. He also became an active participant of the Letterheads, a group dedi- cated to keeping traditional sign making techniques alive. Throughout his career, Bill has received several national design awards for his work. In 1993 as computer technology became more dominant in the sign industry, Bill began to think about sculpture. In his past work, he had been creating the illusion of the third dimension, and going full 3D sounded intriguing to him. In 1994 Bill moved to the Denver area, not far from Loveland, CO a sculpture mecca. Loveland is noted for its large sculpture-related community and the largest sculpture shows in the nation. It was in Loveland that Bill began to study sculpting by taking workshops by nationally and internationally known sculptors. After taking his first of two classes with De L’Esprie, he finally got the direction he was seeking. Bill primarily enjoys working with the figure in oil/wax-based clay, but will create other life forms when necessary. Most of his figures are quarter scale in size and are sold by direct sales and the Loveland’s The St. Paul Sculpture Invitational Show. Almost all of his daily work—both Rotary Club com- sculpture and murals—are by commission. missioned Bill to create an 8-foot bronze replica of In 2005 he and two other sculptors were asked to design six 1½ times Carl Milles’ Vision life-size figures—one for each of the branches of the Armed Servic- of Peace, which es—to be located in the Armed Forces Tribute Garden in Westminster, is an icon in St. Colorado. The artists commented that all of the figures to be sculpted Paul’s Ramsey County Court- were men and that at least one female figure needed to present in this house. Bill’s piece series of sculptures. Bill mentioned the concept of Grieving Friends, was dedicated in and after further discussion; Grieving Friends became an additional October 2012 in Nagasaki, Japan. Grieving Friends is located in the Armed Forces Tribute Garden located in Westminster, CO. This collaboration of three sculptors was installed in May of 2008. Bill did the female figure. This bronze replica of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ The Puritan is in a private collection in New York. The bronze eagle, Freedoms’ Keeper, will be dedicated in the spring of 2013 at the government center in Castle Rock, CO. Bill’s first bronze was Jennifer (top right). Below are other nudes that reflect his classical training: Terpsichore (Muse of Dance), Diana (the Huntress) and Awakening. system collapsed, breaking most of the clay figures. Putting the army 6,000 Terra Cotta Soldiers— back together is a continuing project for Chinese archeologists. A Manufacturing Miracle Assembly-Line Creativity Emperor Qin (221-207 B.C.) was a man of many accomplishments, not all of which were done humanely. He was the first emperor of The life-sized officers, infantrymen, archers and cavalrymen and their China, having united the seven warring states. He standardized a horses were made in assembly-line fashion in workshops by govern- common script, codified a legal system, centrally appointed the coun- ment controlled laborers and craftsmen. Unlike the ancient Greek try’s administrators, built roads, encouraged agricultural reforms and artists who carved their figures “whole,” these statues were created in supervised the construction of the first Great Wall. He did all this at pieces—heads, arms, legs, torsos, etc. Legs were made solid so that the sacrifice of thousands and thousands of laborers. the figure could stand up without support. The rest of the body was hollow. The various pieces fit together like drainage pipes. Clay slip As soon as Qin ascended the throne, he began to make preparations was coated over the basic body parts and individualized by rank and for a safe and elegant after life. It’s estimated that he conscripted with unique hairstyles, moustaches, noses, ears, clothing and shoes. 700,000 workers to build his elegant tomb and the terra cotta army After firing, the soldiers were assembled and painted for added real- that was to protect him. ism. Then they and their weapons were placed in the pits in precise military formation. Today, most of the coloration has flaked off and Until 1974 there were only hints that the massive earthenware army the weapons either deteriorated or stolen shortly after the pits were existed. It was then that some farmers who were digging a well near sealed. Qin’s burial mound unearthed fragments of a clay figure. This led to an extraordinary archeological find—the Terra Cotta Warriors, 6,000 strong. This underground army in full battle regalia stands in military See eight of the Terra Cotta Warriors and formation in parallel trenches to protect Qin’s tomb. A system of brick two of their horses on display at the walls, rafters, matting and wooden roofs piled high with six to nine Minneapolis Institute of Art through feet of earth hid the army from view.