Samuel Cashwan
Encyclopedia
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
.
History
Cashwan was born to Jewish parents in CherkasyCherkasy
Cherkasy or Cherkassy , is a city in central Ukraine. It is the capital of the Cherkasy Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Cherkasky Raion within the oblast...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. His parents left Russia and emigrated to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1906. Cashwan began his art studies after the family moved to Detroit in 1916. His first exposure came from his art teacher, Katherine Conover at Detroit's Central High School. He followed this by taking instruction at the John Wicker School followed by courses at the Detroit City College.
1918 found him serving in the US Army. He was discharged following the end of the war and returned to New York City where he continued with his art training at the Architectural League of New York
Architectural League of New York
The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines"....
. This was followed by an extended stay in Paris from 1923 to 1926 where he attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
under the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle
Antoine Bourdelle
Antoine Bourdelle , originally Émile Antoine Bourdelle, was an influential and prolific French sculptor, painter, and teacher.-Career:...
He returned from France and moved back to Detroit, Michigan in 1927. There Cashwan obtained a position as an art instructor at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He also served as the head of the sculpture department of the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts from his arrival in Michigan until 1942. Later he also was employed by the WPA [Works Progress Administration] from 1936 until 1942 as the supervisor of its sculpture and ceramics program. He was to credit these teaching positions, and the income derived from them with creating the financial security that allowed him to pursue his own art as he saw fit, rather than being hampered by the demands of the market. In 1942 he presented work in MOMA
Moma
Moma may refer to:* Moma , an owlet moth genus* Moma Airport, a Russian public airport* Moma District, Nampula, Mozambique* Moma River, a right tributary of the Indigirka River* Google Moma, the Google corporate intranet...
in a show called Americans, 1942.
Following the end of WW2 Cashwan was hired as a designer for General Motors, a position that he held until his retirement in 1965. He moved to North Carolina shortly thereafter, where he lived until his passing in 1988.
While Cashwan suggested that his work had been influenced by both Romanesque and Hindu sculpture, as his career progress his work developed along more and more abstract lines. By the late 1930s his figural work had become very angular, stressing sharp lines and large volumes. His pieces created following the Second War were even more abstract, his later ones having altogether abandoned figural reference.
Like many of the sculptors of his day Cashwan was endowed with both the skills and the opportunity to work with architects and create architectural sculpture. Buildings adorned by his hand can be found in both Lansing and Detroit Michigan.
Architectural Work
- St. Aloysius Church, Donaldson & Meier architects, Detroit, MichiganDetroit, MichiganDetroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
- two Angles on facade 1927 - Water Conditioning Plant, Black & Black architects, Lansing, MichiganLansing, MichiganLansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
, 1938 - Olin Health Center, Ralph Calder, architect, Michigan State UniversityMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
, East Lansing, MichiganEast Lansing, MichiganEast Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...
, 1939 - Abbott Street Entrance Marker , Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 1939
- Edward Denby Memorial, Brodhead Armoury, Detroit MI, 1939
- Music Building, Ralph Calder, architect, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 1940
- Student Union Addition, PrometheusPrometheusIn Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
FriezeFriezethumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
, Ralph Calder, architect, Michigan State UniversityMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
, East Lansing, MI 1948
Public Monuments
- Brady Memorial, Belle IsleBelle Isle- Places :In Canada* Belle Isle , an island and strait In England, UK* Belle Isle, an area of Leeds, West Yorkshire* Belle Isle , an island in Lake District, Cumbria...
, Detroit MI 1928 - Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln Consolidated Schools, Augusta Township, MI 1938
- Pioneer Mother, Clare, MichiganClare, MichiganClare is a city in Clare and Isabella counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located primarily in Clare County, the city had a population of 3,173 at the 2000 census....
1938 - Three Musicians, Michigan State University, East Lansing MI c. 1940
- Miller Memorial, Kellog Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 1940
External links
Official Samuel Cashwan Website- http://www.cashwan.com
Brady Memorial
- http://www.detroithistorical.org/collections/vewebsite2/exhibit3/e30004a.htm
Clare Pioneer Women
- http://www.wpamurals.com/ClareMI.htm
Samuel Smith Flagpole
- http://www.detroithistorical.org/collections/vewebsite2/exhibit3/e30023a.htm
Willoughby Miller Memorial
- http://www.plantext.bf.umich.edu/planner/sculpture/central/millmem.htm