XII Travelers Bookshelf

XII Travelers Bookshelf
Monumental & Equestrian Sculpture
By N.P. Houser, Project Historian, XII Travelers Memorial of the Southwest
Revised, Jan. 23, 2007

Introduction

The purpose of the XII Travelers Bookshelf is to introduce the viewer to publications and films of interest on monumental art, equestrian sculpture and southwestern history. Additional sources will periodically be added. Prices and availability of cited sources may be subject to change.

SECTION I

Section I features monumental sculpture and horses. Viewers may wish to consult this website’s bibliographies for more resources.

The five authors featured on this page include: (1) Mr. Arthur Williams, (2) Ms. Robin Borglum Carter, (3) Howard Shaff & Audrey Karl Shaff, and (4) Dr. Alexander H. Schenker, and (5) Mildred Archer Nash. The first four have discussed their research and publications with the XII Travelers board.

The Sculpting Reference Illustrated

Contemporary Techniques, Terms, Tools, Materials, and Sculpture

By Arthur Williams, Sculpture Books Publishing, Sculpturebooks.com

512 pages, $75.

The Sculpture Reference Illustrated, by author and sculptor Arthur Williams, is a great resource book for sculptors, collectors and the general public. The creation of the colossal equestrian by sculptor John Sherrill Houser is highlighted with images and text. It is available from SculptureBooks.com and contains hundreds of images of recent work by active sculptors. This is the author’s third book about sculpture.

sculpture book_1.jpg

Gutzon Borglum, His Life and Work

By Robin Borglum Carter

Eakin Press, Austin, Texas, 1998, 96-pages, $21.95 paperback

Website: www.eakinpress.com

Robin Borglum Carter, the granddaughter of the great American sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, has written an informative book about the sculptor’s life and work. He was a talented and prolific artist, whose most notable creation was the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

The author utilizes family records, oral traditions, beautiful images, and archival resources to produce an insightful book, which contains new information about the artist and his legacy. In addition to Borglum’s monumental art, the book includes a selection of his paintings, drawing and other sculptures. One chapter features the creation of his great equestrian bronze, “The Mares of Diomedes” (1908) and other monuments, including the General Sheridan equestrian bronze (1924). The 96-page book contains many photographs of Borglum’s work and of his family, friends and studios. The book is published by Eakin Press (Austin, Texas), and was sponsored by the Mount Rushmore History Association.

Six Wars At A Time

The Life and times of Gutzon Borglum, sculptor of Mount Rushmore

By Howard Shaff and Audrey Shaff

Published by The Center for Western Studies

Augustana College, Sioux Fall, South Dakota

Pine Hills Pres, Freeman, South Dakota

1985

This well written and researched biography on Gutzon Borglum encompasses his life as a painter and sculptor, his controversies, as well as his travels and major works of art. Most interesting is the story of how Mt. Rushmore was developed from a concept to a reality, as well as the controversy and frustration associated with his attempts to bring to fruition the Stone Mountain Memorial.

The Bronze Horseman
By Alexander M. Schenker, Yale University Press, 2003
398 pages. Hardback edition: $65.00

The Bronze Horseman by Alexander M. Schenker is a scholarly book that dramatically tells the story of the creation by French sculptor Etienne-Maurice Falconet (1716-1791) of the world’s foremost equestrian statue. Known as the Bronze Horseman, the 17’ 6” high sculpture depicts Peter the Great mounted on a rearing charger. The work, commissioned by Catherine The Great, took exactly 16 years from initiation to dedication in St. Petersburg in August of 1782.

The Bronze Horseman is a testament to the sculptor’s genius and fortitude to create a masterpiece that immediately became and still is a popular symbol for Russia. Falconet overcame many serious challenges that included political deceit, severe climatic conditions, arduous travel, grave technological problems and re-occurring funding difficulties.

Etienne-Maurice Falconet, although a complex and opinionated man, was a great artist. The book explores his relationship to Catherine the Great and to palace intrigue. It also describes the sculptor’s friendships, especially to Denis Diderot, the French philosopher, and to his young companion and assistant Anne-Marie Collot. The latter, a competent sculptor, contributed artistically to the Falconet’s famous equestrian.

The author, Dr. Schenker, is a retired professor of Slavic Linguistics at Yale University. The book is a must for those interested in equine art, monumental sculpture and the history of tzarist Russia and the Enlightenment. A fascinating chapter concerns the finding, stone cutting, and transport of the enormous boulder that is the incredible base for Falconet's great equestrian. The author noted that a large base is essential to properly display a monumental, equestrian bronze. Another chapter describes the almost impossible foundry casting that Falconet supervised. The entire bronze was cast in one casting! This book is highly recommended.

Eric Gibson, Wall Street Journal, Leisure & Arts Editor (Dec. 18, 2003), aptly summarized the book as follows:

“… He (Schenker) has written a book, the first in English on its subject, that is at once a sweeping cultural history, a penetrating work of art history – and a tale as gripping as any work of fiction.”

Sound Construction
A Comparative Analysis of Natural Forms and
Their Relation to the Human Figure by Solon H. Borglum
600 Plates drawn by the Author and Mildred Archer Nash
Privately Printed, n.d.

This out-of-print book is a good source on horse anatomy because it includes illustrations and text by Solon Hannibal Borglum whose sculptural renderings of the horse reflected not only his powerful artistic talent, but also his exceptional knowledge of horse anatomy. Solon H. Borglum's most notable equestrian bronze, "Bucky ONeill", was formally entitled "Captain William Owen O/Neill Memorial", and is located in Prescott, Arizona. Solon was the brother of Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of Mt Rushmore. Many fine books on horse anatomy have been published since this classic.