Seward Johnson was a visionary, artist and philanthropist who established an international community of artists with the Johnson Atelier in Hamilton, NJ, later going on to create Grounds For Sculpture, a 42-acre nonprofit sculpture park, museum, and arboretum on the site of the former New Jersey State Fairgrounds. A recipient of the International Sculpture Center’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award, Seward passed away at the age of 89 in March of 2020, but the Atelier continues his legacy, producing and preserving works of art and design, while creating cultural experiences and expanding artistic possibility. Seward’s work is featured in collections worldwide with select exhibitions this year in Philadelphia, Penn., Fort Worth, Texas, New Brunswick, New Jersey, Gloucester, Virginia, and right here in Suffield!
Seward Johnson is an American artist who began his career as a painter before turning to sculpture. (Seward attended Forman School for dyslexics in Litchfield, Conn., attended University of Maine, and served four years in the US Navy.) His works have developed a large and loyal following. Johnson’s life-size cast bronze figures have been featured in private collections and museums in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia, as well as prominent places such as Times Square and Rockefeller Center in New York City, Pacific Place of Hong Kong, Les Halles in Paris, and Via Condotti in Rome. He is noted for collections that depict people engaged in everyday activities, works inspired by Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, and interpretations of cultural icons.
What inspires the creation of these pieces, people you know, general ideas or observances, etc.?
Seward Johnson states: “Watching people has long been a fascination of mine – that is where ALL of my ideas originate.”
Are there real clothes on the sculptures?
No. Surprisingly each sculpture is entirely bronze. The realism of the textures and details is the hallmark of Johnson’s art, and this detailing is achieved with hours and hours of intense labor.
Seward Johnson begins each bronze with a twelve-inch tall “sketch” in clay, and then enlarges this to life scale in clay. Often delicate textures, such as the skin, can be made more real with fabrics pressed into the still-moist clay at this stage. Sometimes articles of clothing are stiffened with resin and used in the mold process, but there is no clothing on top of, or under the bronze, in the sculpture that you see today. Other times clay clothing is sculpted onto the figure by the artist using fine-edged wooden and metal tools. As the figures are sawed into many parts for the casting process, there are dozens of roughly welded areas when the parts are reassembled in bronze. At this stage, the artist must replace many of the fine textures; a corduroy, a tweed, a cable knit sweater pattern, with an electric tool that is much like a fine dentist’s drill. This is the most time-consuming part of creating these bronzes. It takes up to one year to create a new sculpture.
How does he get the unusual colors?
Seward Johnson has been developing unique chemistry for the colors of his sculptures for years. To better fool the eye and allow the pieces to blend successfully into our colorful world, he began to add colors about ten years ago. In his first change, the skin on the pieces remained the tone of a traditional bronze patina, and the “nonorganic” aspects such as clothing were painted with opaque colors using the same type of advanced technical pigments that are used on airplanes. They are quite resistant to climate conditions, and each sculpture is also coated with a thin film of acrylic and a final coating of wax for added protection. Seward Johnson had recently begun creating unique “realistic skin” on his sculptures making use of new pigments and many layers.
Can I touch these sculptures?
Absolutely. These works of public art are intended to celebrate community — young and old, families, all races — and the coming together of people to admire the beauty of their surroundings. You’re encouraged to touch, interact with, and take pictures — bring your selfie stick!
God Bless America #1 – Seward Johnson brings to life one of the most famous paintings in American history. Painted in 1930, American Gothic was Grant Woods’ celebration of the moral virtue of hard-working Americans. Some critics believe it may also have represented the repression of rural America. Because of its many interpretations and the riveting portraits, the piece has gone on to become a widely parodied image in pop culture. This piece in Johnson’s series, Icons Revisited, reflects this magnetic attraction and asks the viewer to examine what facets of the image have created the broad appeal. Additionally, the question presented by Seward Johnson is – has there been a change in perspective since this iconic painting was made, and what are the shifts that have occurred?
Just a Taste #2 – “I think having children is a very humanizing experience. It makes you more vulnerable and sensitive.” – Seward Johnson. Note on the paint: In the early years of the Johnson Atelier, castings were chemically patinated; however, Seward Johnson, always pushing the confines of technology, experimented and reimagined these early castings by painting them. The paint used is a heavy-duty coating used by the aeronautic and automotive industries.
A Little to the Right #3 – What Seward Johnson imagined the bronze man in the navy cardigan is saying to his female companion. Who or what are they ‘spying’? Note on casting: The technique of lost wax bronze casting dates back thousands of years and is oftentimes a team effort. The molten metal is poured into a mold that has been created by means of a wax model. Once the mold is made, the wax model is melted and drained away.
Strolling Professor #4 – “I use my art to convince you of something that isn’t real. You laugh at yourself because you were taken in, and in that change of your perception, you become vulnerable to the piece and intimate with it in a certain way.”- Seward Johnson
Keep Life in Balance #5 – Johnson’s ode to Albert Einstein. Seward Johnson lived for many years in Princeton, New Jersey, down the street from Einstein’s former home and heard many stories about the famed physicist’s quirky and appealing personality. This piece, from the Icons Revisited series, captures the brilliant man in a moment of pure freedom from focus of the mind.
A Day Off #6 – This peaceful scene of a father and son spending the day fishing reflects the familial relationship that Seward Johnson wished to share. He has a son, grown now with children of his own, with whom he is quite close. The specific details of the fishing gear on this sculpture are interesting and tactile.