A new Lincoln: Sculptor molds fresh views of an old face
Last April, Brooklyn-based sculptor Ivan Schwartz gave a lecture at Montgomery College about Abraham Lincoln and the depiction of his image in the art world. Schwartz and his company, StudioEIS, had been commissioned by the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation to create a pair of sculptures to celebrate Honest Abe's bicentennial. The response to the talk was so strong, that Schwartz and then-Cafritz Gallery Committee chair Dr. Amy Gumaer came up with the idea of creating a "making of" exhibit on the main floor of the Cafritz Foundation Arts Center.
"It was an enormous amount of work and it was unexpected," says Schwartz. "It was the first show we've ever done like this. Usually the project is over, [the sculpture] goes to the institution and that's the end of it."
"He's such an icon for America and everything about the American Dream," Gumaer notes. "His story resonates, as someone from an impoverished background who above all, sought to get an education."
Gumaer, who now serves as acting instructional dean of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, points out that the Cafritz is not just a gallery; it's part of Montgomery College.
"We are an art school," she says. "We want to show students the process of how art is created."
The question that surrounds the exhibit is one that comes up every time a new bronze version of our sixteenth president is dedicated: Does society really need another sculpture of Lincoln?
David C. Ward, an historian with The National Portrait Gallery, explains that Lincoln has been a popular subject since a boom in sculpture during the late 19th century Gilded Age. The answer to the question has more to do with quality than quantity.
"I think public art in this country is often neglected so I would argue in favor of art produced for the public at large, not just for the art market," says Ward. "We probably don't really need a new sculpture of Lincoln — in the sense that his image is pretty ubiquitous — but I don't think it hurts, especially if the art work is well done and striking."
Of all the presidential sculptures in existence, Schwartz says, one third are of Lincoln. So that became the challenge: to create pieces that didn't reflect Abe as the stoic emancipator or savior of the Union.
"There are thousands of volumes in print," he notes. "So you think about how presumptuous it is to make one singular image. If people thought him important enough to write all of those words, then how can this sculptor address who this person was? Is it possible we missed something?"
To achieve that goal of originality, the EIS crew worked to create moments in time. They developed storylines to humanize a man that has grown into a minor deity. The Gettysburg sculpture depicts Lincoln in the throes of drafting the Gettysburg Address with the full burden of the war on his shoulders. The Cottage sculpture is even more candid, with Lincoln looking off to the side as if being called by a stable boy.
"Everyone knows what it's like to be standing next to a big animal," says Schwartz. "You can be talking, but you're also aware of this giant beast standing next to you. Even though he lived more than 140 years ago, he did what we did."
Schwartz founded Studio EIS 33 years ago with his brother Elliot, a photographer and industrial designer. Initially, Ivan did most of the sculpting himself. Over the years, the team has ballooned into the double digits. He estimates that around 25 people worked on the Lincoln pieces. But the company tries to make each work look as if it were created by a single pair of hands.
"The New York Times has come and done stories and they talked to the sculptors," Schwartz recalls. "And it surprised me that when they talked to the head sculptor, who is Korean, he said, ‘Oh no, I'm not the artist. Ivan is the artist.'"
Schwartz confesses that history isn't his greatest strength. He received an "average New York City Public Schools" education. But eight days before the show's opening, sitting in Gumaer's blue-walled office, he comes across like a scholar enlisted to chat on a PBS documentary. The knowledge grew out of necessity. As historical commissions like George and Martha Washington at Mount Vernon began rolling in, Schwartz became an exhaustive researcher.
"Gradually, the level of the projects began rising," he says. "With anything that's important, you have to learn to ask questions that will allow you to create the proof that allows you to go on with your work. The challenge is part of the thrill."
For the two Lincoln sculptures, the EIS crew gained access to the Smithsonian to measure Abe's hat and frock coat. They also formed a relationship with Ford's Theatre to learn the measurements of the suit he was wearing the night John Wilkes Booth pulled the trigger. (For the record, Lincoln was 6-foot-4-inches with a 34-inch waist.)
"I think, in a way, we are talking about the puzzle that is life," says Schwartz. "So here are those images of Abraham Lincoln. It's almost inconceivable that Lincoln had a squeaky, high-pitched voice. I'm talking now about the physicality, being in the room with him. I think we're able to imagine, short of the voice, what this person felt like."
Then there are the 130 or so photographs that exist of Lincoln. John Quincy Adams was the first president to be captured by the camera, but Lincoln was the first sitting commander-in-chief to pose for multiple exposures. In many available images, Lincoln appears bored, even sleepy. Still, they were a valuable resource to Schwartz.
"Photography gives us a little bit greater latitude because as we look at the pictures, we see greater variation in the face of Lincoln than we do in the paintings of George Washington," he says.
Handsome or worn down, human or god, the perception of Lincoln is constantly changing. Ivan Schwartz is just adding to the conversation.
"Abraham Lincoln: One Man, Two Views, StudioEIS & the Art of Visual Storytelling; Two New Sculptures of Abraham Lincoln in His 200th Year" is on display through March 4 at Montgomery College's Cafritz Foundation Arts Center, 930 King St., Silver Spring. An opening reception will be held at 2 p.m. March 3. Call 240-567-4454 or visit studioeis.com.
Update: Due to snow, the opening reception has been rescheduled for March 3 from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.
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