The Whaler of Nantucket, 1952-53
"The tremendous impact upon him (Roszak) of Melville's Moby Dick finally crystallized in the concept of the pursuer and the pursued who ultimately become one. An anvil in his forge seen in half darkness suggested the shape that his concept must take and out of these elements emerged one of his most moving, suggestive, and forceful sculptures. "[H.H. Arnason, Theodore Roszak, The Walker Art Center, 1956]
"Melville is a very unique personality and it is the kind of work that he has done and the way in which he lived and how he resolves the conflicts of his life that attracted my attention. Since "Moby Dick" perhaps is a work that most clearly characterizes these conflicts and the resolution of them, that were a part of Melville's life and a part of America, I felt this to be a work that more vividly conjured up visual associations than any other." [Theodore Roszak Interview with Elliott, February 13, 1956, p. 27]
Exhibition History:
The Art Institute of Chicago's "Object & Image in Modern Art & Poetry",1954
Yale Gallery of Art, May 1953; Whitney Museum, NYC, April 1953
Penn. Academy, 1951
The Whaler of Nantucket, 1952-53
Steel
34.5 x 45.5 inches, approx 525 lbs.
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago. Edward E. Ayer Endowment in memory of Charles L. Hutchinson (1954-1958). Purchased from Pierre Matisse Gallery in 1954.
Studies for Whaler of Nantucket, 1949
Pen and black ink, with white gouache, on white wove paper
8.7 x 6.2 inches (22.3 x 15.8 cm)
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago. Gift of Theodore Roszak (1955).
First Sketchs for Whaler of Nantucket, 1949
Pen and black ink on ivory wove paper
14 x 10 inches (35.4 x 25.3 cm)
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago. Gift of Theodore Roszak (1955).
Notes For The Sculpture "Whaler Of Nantucket", 1949
India ink applied with pen and brush, and colored washes on white wove paper
13 15/16 x 10 1/16 inches (35.4 x 25.5 cm)
Collection: Worcester Art Museum, MA. Gift of the Estate of Theodore Roszak (1985).