George Segal "Segal was the most influential American figurative sculptor of the 20th Century, and certainly one of the most important of the 20th Century, period. He had a very sophisticated and deep understanding of people and expressed that through his sculpture.” -David Janis, Segal’s agent

American Sculptor Began as figurative painter in late 1950s Turned to sculpture to describe human figures in real space and relate them to their surroundings Influenced by the psychology in Edward Hopper’s paintings and his attention to the attitude and gesture of his figures in urban and rural settings

Pop Art Early work considered in Pop Art References to individual’s place in mass culture Examined relationship between fine art and popular art forms The Curtain, 1974

Medium Began casting plaster of Paris moulds from living models Placed figures in an environment that he constructed to lock them in time Toll Booth with Collector, 1979

Process Select situation Select a person and pose Cast figure, sometimes in clothing Soaked bandages in plaster and applied and shaped them to the body

First works Man Sitting at a Table (1961) Used only outside unpainted surface of cast Abstract, impressionistic, disembodied and anonymous quality//depersonalized social settings

Later works Parking Garage (1968): Poured industrial plaster inside cast to capture details of expression and physical form: more life-like The Corridor (1976): cast and painted in vivid colors as metaphors for “rosy disposition” “blue funk” and “a black mood” The Corridor

New approaches Fragments and groups of figures in social settings Sound and lighting effects Cast still-life scenes from works by major modern artists: Picasso’s Chair (1973) Picasso’s Chair

Public monuments Late 1970s, series that made political and ideological statements Gay Liberation, Steelmakers, Appalachian Farm Couple, In Memory of May 4, 1970, Kent State: Abraham and Isaac The Holocaust (1982): most controversial work The Holocaust

Mini Lesson Plan: Grades 6-12 Segal ’ s project on a smaller scale … 1.Choose either your hand or your face to cast in plaster using plaster strips. 2.Cut the strips into three long smaller strips. 3.Apply Vaseline thoroughly to all skin that will be covered by the strips. 4.Wet strips and wrap them, one by one, around hand or face until the skin is completely covered 5.Let strips heat up and dry. 6.Cut slits in parts of hand or body part that get smaller (eg. wrist) 7.Carefully remove the hardened plaster surface 8.Repair slit with strips or pure wet plaster 9.Can paint sculpture when it dries

Works Cited Kristine Stiles. “Segal, George.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. 25 Nov Images Images: /images/ L.jpg