Frederick Hart (American, 1943-1999)

Frederick Hart is recognized worldwide as one of the most prominent figurative sculptors of the last century. His monuments, commissions, innovations and collected sculpture have changed the way the world has seen twentieth century art. What is more, he changed the way we THINK about beauty itself. "Art must touch our lives, our fears and cares; evoke our dreams and give hope to the darkness." He took the notion possibly best stated by playwright Tom Stoppard who said "Innovation without skill, gives you 'MODERN ART'", and rejected this nihilism when developing the techniques that would earn him the title the "Rodin of our Century".

But, you probably do not know his name.

Beginning his life in Atlanta, and his career in Washington D.C., Hart was the epitome of the starving artist. He felt he was spiritually descended from figurative masters such as August St. Gaudens and Daniel Chester French, but he failed to realize the level of fame these artists enjoyed. He hung around Dupont Circle, sculpting girlfriends, kids and buddies but not truly finding his calling. After becoming despondent with the lack of skill on the "modern" art scene, as well as notion that we had forgotten what it meant for something to be beautiful, timeless and everlasting, he strove to do something more profound with his life.

He then discovered the Washington National Cathedral, the seventh largest cathedral in the world, and the only place in the world he could truly surround himself with the Italian master stone carvers that would allow him to become a master himself. He toted tools, fetched coffee and finally ingratiated himself into the cadre of stone carvers, whose impermeable ranks were so hard to breach. The head master himself, Roger Morigi, a temperamental Italian, with a penchant for the "tough-love" way of teaching, took him as an apprentice.

In 1971, Hart was informed of the competition for the commission to design and sculpt the west facade of the cathedral on the theme of creation. Hart, inspired by the writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French Jesuit theologian and philosopher, postulated that mankind is in a constant state of becoming conscious of itself. With this thought in mind he spent 2 and one-half years creating what became the most prominent religious sculpture of our day. "Ex Nihilo" (Out of Nothing), an eight figure, larger than life, swirling mass, which notoriously gained recent recognition as the subject of the lawsuit against the makers of the movie "The Devil's Advocate", which Hart won. The sculpture was sculpted first in Clay, translated into plaster then carved into Indiana Limestone. It was finally dedicated in 1982. Hart created the six major sculptures on the West facade, giving him a similar historical place among masters such as Bernini, Michelangelo and Rodin. Hart said, upon it's completion "my life's work is complete, my destiny fulfilled"

Once complete, Hart scanned the art journals and literary magazines for some mention of this masterwork... none came, either positively or negatively. Hart hoped he would find an article panning it, just to let him know that someone was watching figurative sculpture. No one was.

At the same time, artist Christo created "Surrounded Islands" in Biscayne Bay, Miami (surrounding islands with pink fabric) which was publicly loathed, but embraced by the Art community. Hart's felt that his sculptures were ignored because it was it the tradition of the old school, and many people felt it offered no new ideas.

During this cycle, Hart heard about a commission to be awarded for the dedication of a new "Vietnam Veterans Memorial" to be placed on the Mall in front of the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. The requisite element was that all 58,000 dead must be named. Hart entered a sculpture containing both a wall with the listed dead, as well as a medic running toward a wounded soldier. The board voting on the monument (which contained no veterans) awarded the commission was awarded to a 21-year-old Yale University architecture student, Maya Ying Lin. Lin's design was a minimalist black granite wall, shiny, deeply cut into the Earth. This set off a series of debates that occupied the United States bitterly on both sides. The problem that veterans (and Hart) had with Lin’s elegantly simple design was that it lacked a human face. How would such a wall translate to a society one hundred years from now? Once we are dead and gone would it still have any lasting impact, like the sculptures of civil war heroes? Vets called it the "great black gash of shame and sorrow". Hart simply called it "a telephone book listing of dead people". Funding for the project was withheld till a suitable solution could be reached. The idea was then proposed that a figurative element be placed near the monument, at its apex. Hart was given the commission, and altered the plan accordingly. However, instead of placing his "Three Servicemen" at the apex, place them approximately 400 feet from the wall; looking, as one Vet said "for their own names". This compromise sated both sides and quelled the debate.

Hart mentioned that the monument is one of the hardest places for him to visit, because after absorbing many interviews with veterans themselves, as well as the controversy surrounding the monument itself, he was forced to synthesize these disparate elements it into what became, in his words "the most effective ensemble monument in the United States." At the unveiling of "Three Servicemen", architect Maya Ying Lin approached Hart to inquire as to whether it hurt the models to pull the molds off of them. It was foreign to her, and many others, to believe a sculptor was capable of creating figures so perfect in detail and form. This monument has become the most visited in Washington D.C. and the "Three Servicemen" are some of the most recognized faces in 20th Century sculpture. Yet, when Hart checked those same sculpture journals and literary magazines, no mention was made of these overly sentimental, hero figures. Only the genius of the minimalist wall. Hart was despondent, but not done.

In the early 70's, after sculpting in stone (the stone age) and bronze (the bronze age), Hart turned his attention to Light. He believed we were entering an age of enlightenment, "The Age of Light". So he began developing the uses of clear acrylic resin, to "Sculpt in light". Harking back to the teachings of Chardin, and his vision of creation, Hart created a new legacy with his development of acrylic as a figurative media. The Children of Ex Nihilo were born. After releasing his first sculpture in the "Age of Light" collection in 1984, Hart's vision became clearer and he began to realize the artistic and commercial success of his work. Subsequent works, such as "Memoir", “Echo of Silence” and "Dance of Life" experimented with imbedding one acrylic sculpture within another, which Hart then patented. The mystery of this technique still confounds viewers and technicians to this day. Through commercial success and public monuments, including works for Pope John Paul II, Jimmy Carter, The Prince of Wales and others, Hart still surprisingly enjoyed little critical acclaim.

On August 13, 1999 at the age of 55, Hart died of lung cancer that was diagnosed only a few days before. His career, now having a finite beginning and a finite end is looked upon in retrospect, not as single works, but as a body of work; a total idea. What was discovered is that Hart laid the seeds of change in our "zeitgeist", (spirit of the age) from one that vilified beauty, into one that embraced the things that are beautiful in life. As a member of the "Centrists", a group of poets, theologians, musicians, artists and those dedicated to making us rethink the beautiful, Hart brought us back to the lost precepts of our existence. "The ability to have faith; to sustain hope; to feel the transforming power of beauty; and the revel in the innocence of the world around us".

An article in the "New York Times" magazine at the beginning of 2000 went miles in explaining who this artist was, what he offered to us and the legacy he left behind. Of all the articles written about Hart posthumously, none had more of an effect on people than this one. Translated into over thirty languages and reprinted worldwide, the article brought Hart the recognition that he always relished. The author of the article was Tom Wolfe, author of "A Man in Full" and friend of Mr. Hart. He explained to people what it meant to be an ignored master, and what it was to be a humble servant of the cause... One of beauty and timelessness -By Reed V. Horth, for Robin Rile Fine Art