The last year or so has thrown a lot of curve balls at me, and let's face it, I'm a fast ball hitter. And, one of the things that has suffered has been my blogging. So I have decided to "swing where it ain't" - just do it, move the goods and see what comes up.
I recently saw a photo of a work by sculptor Haig Patigian - a panel from the Bohemian Club Building in San Francisco, (an image [see above] posted on flickr by user RCoshow and shamelessly borrowed by me) and was immediately struck by how much it reminded of a couple of other works, both in Michigan, and both by Parducci. So I dug up pictures of them and am using the "compare and contrast" aspects of them as my jumping off point.
On the surface they are quite similar, being allegorical in nature and intended to represent either "Sculpture" or 'the Arts". They are all more or less square and show a sculptor, in fact a carver, with a mallet in his left hand (most of the carvers I know whack with their right, so three southpaws is unusual) and two hold a chisel in their right. The other holds a column in his right, and this architectural feature is echoed in another of the panels. The figures are all kneeling, facing the right. Two of them are in a contro-posso position, with their faces pointing to the left. The drapery, for those that are inclined to wear it, is very similar, very minimal.
Put another way, these works are very similar. Why? Where is the original that they all descend from? I'll keep looking and you, feel free to let me know your opinions, because here, opinions are welcome.
