WP3: Prewriting Assignment 5

To understand Torso, we must understand the man who created it and the context in which he sculpted this incredible masterpiece.

Torso was created in 1932, which was in the middle of the Great Depression. It was a time of uncertainty, and certainly a period where living by your means and appreciating the simple things was the best way to survive. Poverty was rampant and many people were losing everything that they had. Their jobs and their homes. Many even had to sell prized possessions such as wedding rings and watches simply to pay for food.

It is no surprise than that William Zorach drew Torso as he did. A simplified version of the human body, part of his message might have been to appreciate the simple things during a difficult time, such as the beauty and love of a woman and her body.

The artist known as William Zorach was born in Eurburg, Lithuania in 1889, before immigrating to Ohio two years later as a toddler. Once Zorach became a teenager, he started taking art classes at the Cleveland School of Art and the National Academy of Design.

He continued to study art at various schools during his youth and traveled the world learning about different types of art. Along the way he met and married Margeurite Thompson, and decided to settle down with her so that he could begin creating his own artistic work.

During the 1920's Zorach experimented with a variety of art, including wood, oil painting and carving. Rejecting Renaissance naturalism, Zorach drew inspiration from African, Chinese, Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Greek art. In his own work he ignored surface detail, and was an artist who focused on the simple things.

"Real sculpture is something monumental, something hewn from a solid mass, something with response, with inner and outer form; with strength and power," Zorach said.

Not surprisingly, all of these characteristics are present in Torso. It is a monumental piece of art created from a solid mass called Labrador Granite. This material is not easy to cut, and is renowned for it's hardness and difficulty to sculpt.

This might also send a message that to create something really beautiful in life, you have to work hard for it. The best things never come easily, and it takes effort and persistance to arrive at the end result.

Another interesting demention to Torso is the tension between naturalism and idealism, as well as dynamism and stasis (I will explore these relationships further in my final project).

"A human body can be reduced to simple elementary forms and become a thing of sheer beauty," said Zorach.

He went on to to win many awards for his work, including the Logan Medal of the Arts. Frank Granger Logan, for whom the award is named for, strongly opposed all forms of modern art, including cubism, surrealism and abstract expressionism.

Zorach taught art at the Art Students League of New York for the remainder of his years before passing away in 1966. But his legacy lives on through his art, including at the University of Nebraska at the Sheldon Art Museum.

This information hasn't really changed my perception of Torso. In fact in a lot of ways it re-enforces many of the ideas I already had about Torso. Ultimately Zorach was a man who focused on the simple things in life and in his art. And I think he wanted others in the world to see the importance of simple but good things as well. All of this and more will be explored in my final project.