#600: Throw on another log . . . the influence of Bugatti, con't

Throw on another log is a commentary and opinion about art
and this blog is a continuation of the previous post . . . 

Please scroll back to blog # 599,  posted Jan. 11, 2015.

I welcome your comments and observations.

Since the last post,  I've received several comments and inquiries from
former students and others about the influence of Bugatti regarding my
 work.  Years ago, I purchased the big Bugatti book - cover shown at right -
and while it had a definite presence in the studio, it was not a
"go-to" source of reference during the early, formative years . . .

 There's no clay on the pages which attests to the fact.

 The trip to Paris last month has directed my attention to this incomparable sculptor of animals.  I was mesmerized by his plasters at the Musee d'Orsay,  (shown in the previous post),  and spent hours in the Petit Palais,
(also shown),  with his sculptures . . . captivated and influenced.

Bugatti died young - he committed suicide at age 31 - and during his short life he created over 300 sculptures. 

 He explored many different methods and styles while creating a multitude of masterpieces . . . each one a classic observation of the animal . . . in gesture and in spirit.  Every sculptor would be well-served to study his work.   

While I can't say my work has been grounded and influenced by Bugatti over the years, since returning from Paris,

 I'm haunted by the memory of experiencing his sculpture in the museums.  This morning, I created a study of a walking panther - shown below -  that would not have been on my radar to do without being under his spell.  

Every artist is the sum total of their interests, experience, knowledge, and feelings.

Artists and their styles evolve naturally while searching various possibilities of design.

Style, like feelings, cannot be forced.

Shown below, are images of Bugatti's cats.  Note the various surface treatments and styles.

I'm concluding each art blog about our trip to Paris last month with a glimpse of life in the beautiful city.

Below, the morning sun streams through the window of the upper level cafe as Trish and i enjoy coffee,
a baguette, and cheese at the Musee d'Orsay . . . an enlightening day, experiencing Bugatti.

Also shown is the incredible Sorolla painting that is close to the cafe.

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information. 

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#599: Throw on another log . . . the influence of Bugatti

Throw on another log is a commentary and opinion about art.
It is directed toward students, artists, collectors, galleries,

museums, and those interested in the visual arts.

I welcome your comments on this blog and on Facebook.

I've learned through my association with painters over the years and by engaging in social media such as Facebook and artist's blogs that without a doubt, the two non-living painters who have had the greatest influence on representational painters are
John Singer Sargent and Joquim Sorolla.  Among the living painters, the most influential is certainly, Richard Schmid.

Among anamaliers - or sculptors of animals - one name prevails:  Rembrandt Bugatti (1884 - 1916).  

He was Italian, came from the famous Bugatti family, designers of art nouveau furniture and automobiles, 

and lived and worked in Paris and Antwerp.  He worked from zoo animals.

 Bugatti has, by far, had the most influence on today's animal sculptors . . . even more than Barye.

Bugatti was fairly obscure when I directed my attention toward sculpture in the late 1970s'

 and early 1980s'.  I had seen and remembered his work from an early trip to Paris but it 

was my friend and fellow sculptor, Ken Bunn who turned me on to his incredible work early on.  

Many sculptors were certainly aware of Bugatti's work back then and were influenced by his loose, 

juicy, thumby, and impressionistic surfaces coupled with his heightened sense of form and structure.  

The enormous amount of time he spent at the zoo facilitated his understanding of the animals he modeled

 and his great ability to find the pose and gesture, captured his subject's essence.   

Below, are images of Bugatti's sculpture.

Today, every sculptor I know is aware of Rembrandt Bugatti.  Books have been written about him and his works 

are coveted by museums and sell in the millions.  He produced over 300 works in his short life,

 before committing suicide at age 31.  Much more can be learned about him online.  

To me,  Bugatti is style, simplicity, and elegance . . . the subject, beautifully observed.

I read that he would tear down and start over if he could not complete a study in a day at the zoo.

Incredibly, some of Bugatti's works are mannered, tight, and art nouveau in concept and execution.  

His work is usually based on a perfectly flat plate like the zoo cage surfaces he knew so well.

Below, are images of Bugatti's plasters in the Musee d'Orsay.  Note the careful modeling of the lion.
Bugatti's "Pelicans" are located in the Petit Palais Museum.

   The good sculptors, like Bunn and others, developed their own statements under Bugatti's influence. 

Sadly, there are those who continue to misunderstand anatomy and structure and misinterpret what they
 are seeing when they look at spontaneous, active surfaces such as Bugattis' or Rodins' for that matter.

 Misunderstood form and sloppy, meaningless surface continues to be put out there in the name of "loose".

Below, is an image of Ken Bunn's "Drinking Lion" and "Jackie" by Richard Schmid 

from my collection.

I'm concluding each art blog about our trip to Paris last month with a glimpse of life in the beautiful city.

Below, crepes are being made in a little open- air kitchen in Montmartre.  The batter is ladled onto the
hot cooking surface and after the crepe is cooked, it is fill with Nutella, or the sweet filling of your choice.
We stayed in Monmartre and I eventually had to avoid this place.  As I emerged from the metro, the aroma filled the air . . .  they're too good and eating one meant no supper for me.
The skinny guy cooking them obviously doesn't eat them.

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information. 

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish