Epstein - Sickert

E P S T E I N B o r n 1880 SIR JACOB EPSTEIN is o n e of t he g r e a t troversy w a s to b e his life-long companion. 4 figures in 20th c en t u r y sculpture. Born of He r e c e i ved s eve r a l no t ab l e commissions for Po I i h - J ewi s h p a r e n t s in N e w York's East architectural sculptures, b u t e a c h of them Side h e u n d e rwe n t a n a c a d em i c training in d r ew bitter demonstrations of public hostility. Ale - f Paris a n d d i s cove r ed for himself bo t h t h e a r t His b r onz e bu s t s m a y b e s a i d to form a Par- • of Rodin a n d of Egypt a n d e a r l y G r e e c e in trait Ga l l e r y of eminent 20th c en t u r y person- the Louvre. In 1905 h e c h o s e London a s his alities; Joseph Conrad, Ge o r g e Bernard Shaw, V p l a c e of p e rma n e n t residence a n d h e r e de- Ra b i nd r a n a t h Tagore, Albert Einstein, Sir v e l op e d t he two distinct styles to wh i c h h e Winston Churchill, V a u g h a n Williams are h a s a d h e r e d with singular consistency bu t a f ew of those wh o s a t for him. Yet throughout his life. Large-scale architectural h a r d l y a n y sitter w a s p l e a s e d with t he re- stone sculptures, stylized a n d monumen t a l , sult. "Th e story of m y portraits," Epstein a l t e r na t e with realistic bronze portraits in his h a s written "is for t he most p a r t a story of work. His bronzes a l w a y s retain t h e char- failure to p l e a s e the sitters a n d their rela- a c t e r of his eminently skilful c l a y models; tives." H e n e v e r received a t e a ch i ng appoint- their textured surfaces emp h a s i s e t h e p l a y men t n o r d o e s h e exercise a no t a b l e influence of light a n d s h a d e ; t h e y give vibrating s e n s e o n English sculpture. Yet his wo r k is well 7 W o f life to his h e a d s a n d c o n v e y to t h e spec- r ep r e s en t ed in the g r e a t galleries of t he world tator t h e creative excitement of t h e artist a t a n d lately, in his 73rd y e a r h e h a s received work. a knighthood. In his a u t ob i og r a phy Epstein frequently re- The r e a s o n for Epstein's curious isolation in Xi'211 fers to his portrait bu s t s in connection with the c on t empo r a r y s c e n e wo u l d s e e m to lie paintings. He is p r oud to note that a par- in the fact that h e s t a nd s outside t h e main- ticular b r onz e c a n hold its own with portraits stream of 20th century a r t trends. Despite b y Remb r a nd t a n d Franz Hals. His character- his g e n e r o u s de f enc e of Brancusi's Golden isation of Remb r and t ' s portraits r e a d s like a Bird in a N e w York Customs d i s pu t e h e never description of his own w o r k " . . . p e o p l e look h a d a n y s ymp a t h y with c ub i sm a n d abstrac- out of his c a n v a s e s , h u m a n b e i n g s wh o s e tion. His emph a t i c human i sm, his passionate t r ade a n d bu s i n e s s e s y o u c a n n o t tell b u t concern with m e n a s individuals a n d with t h e y h a v e d e e p h u m a n thoughts h e the expression of emotion set h i m a p a r t in s e ems to p e n e t r a t e into their i nne r selves a n a g e d e vo t e d to a n i de a l of a u s t e r e am a n d r e v e a l their v e r y souls in children their personality A s time p a s s e s h owe v e r we lively joy, a n d in grown-ups t h e b u r d e n of beg i n t o r e a c h a truer und e r s t a nd i ng of > living, their sorrow a n d disappointments." Epstein 's a v o w e d a i m to c a r o n t h e great tradition of sculpture a s it exists since time Epstein's g e n i u s r e c e i ved immed i a t e recog- immemorial." nition in certain English circles. Yet con- URSULA HOFF