Customer Reviews

Frederick Hart: Sculptor

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This book offers readers a complete overview of the world's most well renowned sculptor. Frederick Hart, who passed away suddenly last month, August 1999, created such famous works as the "Three Soldier's Bronze Sculpture in the Washington Public Gardens," "El Nihilo," the three phase triangular scluptures over the entrance to the National Cathederal, in Washington D.C. Maybe the most controversal sculpture Mr. Hart completed, "El Nihilo," was featured in the movie "Devil's Advocate" and was depicted in a lured, and distastful manner. The Hart Foundation sued the production company of "Devil's Advocate," with Al Pacino, the Hart Foundation won it's legal suit, and a disclaimer was placed on all Devil's Advocate's videos disclosing the "El Nihilo" sculpture was not used with The Hart's Foundation approval. Frederick Hart also created and invented the art technology of "double embedded lucite sculpture." This process involved creating a three dimensional free form floating sculpture "floating" within the lucite sculpture itself. Anyone who has ever viewed one of Mr. Hart's three dimensional sculpture's, know the incredible beauty and art that lay within his limited production of sculptures. The book can not honestly show the amazing detail of the "three dimensional double imbedded process" that Mr. Hart created. He and his work will be forever remembered as the finest bronze and lucite sculptor in the world to date. This book is a tribute to his master creations, depiction of his artwork, and ultimately a truly inspirational attestment to one of the world's greatest artists of all time.

Hart's West Facade of National Cathedral on the subject of Creation is the most famous piece of American scupture. ("Liberty," after all, will always be French.) The name of this piece is "Ex Nihilo" -- from nothing. The book has a wonderful photograph of "Ex Nihilo." Of course, our local rag The New York Times published a full magazine-page copy of this picture with left and right reversed and artificial green-tinted coloring. Typical New York always-in-a-hurry carelessness. ------ The work itself is astonishing. Everything given, nothing held back or calculated to please a critic. All driven by faith. A return to what is meant by the term masterpiece. Hart's personal items and the items of religious expression are sampled with his own favorites. ----- Enjoy ! This is a sweet book.

This book contains beautiful photographs of Hart's sculpture and wonderful essays. The copy I ordered from Amazon arrived only yesterday, and after leafing through it, I was stunned by an egregiously poor design choice by the publisher.

The full color photograph of "Ex Nihilo", perhaps Hart's most moving piece, is centered between 2 pages! Split down the middle by the binding! How in the world can a fine art book publisher do this ? Other art texts, National Geographic, even Playboy (for pity's sake!) publish large format photographs using a fold-out leaf. Yes, fold-out leaves are more likely to become torn, or detached with use; but the reader's enjoyment, not preservation concerns, should drive layout and design decisions.

I was also disappointed that no full color photos of the finished "Daughters of Odessa" were in the book. There are photographs of studies, and a b&w photo in the catalog raisonne, but the effect is not the same.

I probably will keep this book; but I certainly won't be buying an art book from this publisher again! If I had it to do over, I would check the book out from the library.

Frederick Hart was a virtual Michaelangelo or Bernini in his sculptural representations of the human body.

The book gives as good an overview of Hart's art as one can get, short of actually seeing his works.

John Urquhart, MD
Palo Alto, CA

Good overview of Hart's work and career. Large format allows for great shots of his work. A valuable addition to an artist's or art lover's library.