The Mulligan in the Library

 

Charles Mulligan, Steel Worker, plaster

Last week, the descendants of Charles Mulligan (1866-1916)  gave this fine piece to the Palette and Chisel - and I’m doubting they even knew he was ever a member  

- except for the attention given him by this blog.

In 2006, I biked down to Hyde Park to see his statue of Lincoln in Oak Woods Cemetery.

Then I researched   his biography and some of his other public sculptures in our area.

What an elegant, finely composed sculpture that sweetly asserts itself into its surrounding space.

As Russian trained Misha has noted, it has "scale",

i.e. the quality of looking large regardless of size.

What a gentle, intelligent face.

What strong, sensitive modeling.

Three of Chicago’s greatest figure sculptors were associated with our organization back in its early years: the other two being Lorado Taft and Albin Polasek.

All three were leading educators as well - and the above piece bears witness to Mulligan’s own thorough training in a tradition that dates back to the Parthenon.  It began  to fade around 1950 and is now practically gone. (at least in our country. I don’t think the SAIC sculpture department even has a regular live figure study class any more)