Life Cast of the Hands and Face of Abraham Lincoln - Leonard Wells Volk

Gift of the artist

"Life Cast of the Hands and Face of Abraham Lincoln" by Leonard Wells Volk (Cast in plaster 1860; cast in bronze by 1888) Bronze.

Commentary

"Life Cast of the Hands and Face of Abraham Lincoln" by Leonard Wells Volk (Cast in plaster 1860; cast in bronze by 1888) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. Because the work is spatial, changes in viewpoint and light c an noticeably alter its emotional impact. Themes to notice include sculpture. This piece is held in the source collection's Arts of the Americas collection. Leonard Wells Volk is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Leonard Wells Volk (American, 1828–1895). The work is cataloged within a Chicago cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as sculpture, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Bronze) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Life Mask: 24.1 × 21 × 14 cm (9 1/2 × 8 1/4 × 5 7/8 in.); Right hand: 14.6 × 13 × 8.9 cm (5 3/4 × 5 1/8 × 3 1/2 in.); Left hand: 16.5 × 10.8 × 7.5 cm (6 1/2 × 4 1/4 × 2 7/8 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include sculpture. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/566

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data