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Samuel Adler, Composer
Collections: Eastman School of Music and The Juilliard School
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Very often, there has been a certain ambiguity on the part of critics and curators as to the seriousness and aesthetic depth of portraits executed by artists. Artists have been sometimes just a little suspect in their intentions. More recently, possibly originating or emphasized by Daumier, artists have consciously expressed themselves through portraits without regard for the subjects’ cooperation as purchaser or collector. This disdain, I believe, has led to a greater freedom of expression. Sculpture presents a special problem in this respect, whereas painting can, by its very nature, create the illusion of reality and therefore an obvious impression of the subject.
Therein lies one of the strengths of painting. Sculpture, quite obviously, creates an actual presence, which competes with its own environmental surroundings. Somehow we expect portrait sculpture to be accurate or “real”. We are even willing to accept the limitations of the frame in painting more readily than we can accept the limitations of the sculpture pedestal.
Portraiture is actually one of the most challenging projects for artists. To make a portrait that is both a credible psychophysical impression of the person being portrayed and at the same time an aesthetically realized piece of sculpture is for me an ultimate creative endeavor. I personally consider portrait sculpture to be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding creative challenges of all.
All portraits are life-sized and not modeled from life masks. |
