Stumbling Man
Encyclopedia
Stumbling Man is an outdoor sculpture by American artist David K. Rubins
(1902-1985) located on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
(IMA), which is near downtown Indianapolis
, Indiana
. The sculpture is cast bronze and is in the shape of a man crouched upon the ground.
figure of a man on his hands and knees. The man’s head is bent toward the ground, and his posture is tensed as if he is trying not to collapse further. Both hands and both feet are in contact with the horizontal bronze base, which is approximately two inches thick; his proper left knee is also connected to this base. His proper right leg is in a position of moving slightly forward. The surface of the bronze is highly textured and carries a brown patina
, with the texture allowing some areas of brighter bronze to show through.
A rectilinear piece of limestone
, about 50” x 65” x 12”, serves as a pedestal for the sculpture.
and the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design
in New York. He then traveled to Europe to study in Paris, where he was awarded the Paris Prize in Sculpture. He was a fellow of the American Academy in Rome
from 1928 to 1931. He joined the faculty of the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis in 1935. While there, he taught drawing, anatomy, ceramics, and sculpture. He also authored a textbook, The Human Figure: An Anatomy for Artists, in 1953.
Rubins’ work includes the statue of Young Abraham Lincoln outside the Indiana Statehouse, a number of plaques at Riley Hospital, and the sculpture of Henry F. Schricker inside the Statehouse.
Rubins retired from teaching in 1970, three years after Herron became a part of Indiana University. He was named Professor Emeritus in 1981. He died in 1985 at the age of 82.
David K. Rubins
David Kresz Rubins was an American sculptor and professor. He taught at Herron School of Art in Indianapolis and his various works adorn the Indiana State House, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the National Archives building in Washington, D.C.-Personal life:David Kresz...
(1902-1985) located on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.The...
(IMA), which is near downtown Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. The sculpture is cast bronze and is in the shape of a man crouched upon the ground.
Description
The sculpture is a life-size, cast bronzeBronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
figure of a man on his hands and knees. The man’s head is bent toward the ground, and his posture is tensed as if he is trying not to collapse further. Both hands and both feet are in contact with the horizontal bronze base, which is approximately two inches thick; his proper left knee is also connected to this base. His proper right leg is in a position of moving slightly forward. The surface of the bronze is highly textured and carries a brown patina
Patina
Patina is a tarnish that forms on the surface of bronze and similar metals ; a sheen on wooden furniture produced by age, wear, and polishing; or any such acquired change of a surface through age and exposure...
, with the texture allowing some areas of brighter bronze to show through.
A rectilinear piece of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, about 50” x 65” x 12”, serves as a pedestal for the sculpture.
Historical information
Rubins created the sculpture for a state-sponsored art competition; his purpose was to memorialize the lives of Indiana coal miners.Acquisition
The sculpture was given to the IMA by David K. Rubins. A plaster version of the statue was received by the IMA in 1972, and the bronze cast was made in 1976. It was dedicated on April 23, 1981, in a special ceremony honoring the artist on the IMA grounds. Rubins delivered an address at the ceremony of approximately 100 guests, which included colleagues, collectors, former students, and friends of the artist and IMA staff.Artist
David Kresz Rubins was born in Minneapolis in 1902. As a young man, he apprenticed with James Earle Fraser before moving on to study at Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design
Beaux-Arts Institute of Design
The Beaux-Arts Institute of Design was an art and architectural school at 304 East 44th Street in Turtle Bay, Manhattan, in New York City...
in New York. He then traveled to Europe to study in Paris, where he was awarded the Paris Prize in Sculpture. He was a fellow of the American Academy in Rome
American Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome.- History :In 1893, a group of American architects, painters and sculptors met regularly while planning the fine arts section of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition...
from 1928 to 1931. He joined the faculty of the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis in 1935. While there, he taught drawing, anatomy, ceramics, and sculpture. He also authored a textbook, The Human Figure: An Anatomy for Artists, in 1953.
Rubins’ work includes the statue of Young Abraham Lincoln outside the Indiana Statehouse, a number of plaques at Riley Hospital, and the sculpture of Henry F. Schricker inside the Statehouse.
Rubins retired from teaching in 1970, three years after Herron became a part of Indiana University. He was named Professor Emeritus in 1981. He died in 1985 at the age of 82.