George Wallace (1920 - 2009)
About the Artist:
Canadian artist George Burton Wallace is known primarily for his splendid sculptures and graphics. He was born in Ireland in 1920, studied at Trinity College in Dublin and came to Canada in 1957 where he taught art at McMaster University for 25 years. He retired to Victoria, B.C. where he died in 2009.
About the Sculpture:
welded corten steel
Robert C. Yates, writing in Hamilton Arts & Letters magazine, had this to say: "In mood and material, the sculpture of George Wallace is very much a product and reflection of the contemporary world, but in the imagery he chooses, Wallace carries on with his job as if the society he addresses still believes in the traditions on which it is based. In this, George Wallace's sculpture is art of conviction. It is also a quiet sign of hope.
The physical state of societies (or sculptures) can often be interpreted as a parallel to mankind's spiritual state. The classical world glorified the human body, often portraying it as ideal in their sculptures. The shoulders and chests were strong, the bellies taut, every muscle of the arms and legs was heroically defined. Today, the physical descendants of Ulysses and Hercules are Tarzan of the Apes, Superman and other comic book characters, somewhat lacking in soul. Wallace's subjects tend to have flabby tummies, untoned limbs and an unheroic stance. They are not extremely handsome and their awkward sense of balance suggests people who are not particularly competent at manipulating the material world around them. They are poetic products of the twentieth century and the spiritual brothers of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and the Great Misfits of our time. In an age that can remember nothing of the courage and nobility of a great ancient hero like Achilles but only his one small weakness, the tragic comics are as close to heroes as we are liable to get. They are the only ones now capable of capturing the collective imagination. Often exuding an ironic gray humour, Wallace's tragic comic characters are naked and bald or timelessly and anonymously dressed. They are similar to classical Greek sculpture in that the essence of Being is captured in one descriptive moment. What went on before and what will likely happen afterward is understood. The figures are in the act of stretching, hanging, balancing or losing balance. Bondage, a fragile balance, a taking wing or the grief of Daedalus are all passing things and cannot last. In the Man Releasing Eagles, the action is stopped at the instant of release, between the birds' restraint and their complete freedom."
Robert C. Yates
'An Introduction to the Sculpture of George Wallace',
Hamilton Arts & Letters, issue one 2008
See also
"Days and Vision: an appreciation of George Wallace, his art and his life"
by Robert Clark Yates in Hamilton Arts & Letters issue three,1 Spring 2010
McMaster Museum of Art Exhibit - George Wallace: As I Was Saying
Back to A Short History of Art in Hamilton
