I attended the opening of the exhibition of the sculptings of Henry DiSpirito at the Fenimore Art Museum at Cooperstown, New York. http://www.fenimoreartmuseum.org/
The show is stunning. To see Di Spirito's work collected and displayed in so tasteful a showing is a very moving experience -- especially if we know the story of Henry Di Spirito.
Paul D'Ambrosio, the Chief Curator of the Fenimore, wrote the following
text
to introduce viewers to Henry Di Spirito.
======================================================
"Henry DiSpirito was a quiet, gentle man
with a deep love of nature and a
profound respect for all living things. In the backyard of his home
in
Utica, New York, and at his studio at Utica College, DiSpirito carved
stone
images of people, animals, and insects, often while engaging visitors
in
lively conversations on a wide variety of topics.
Born in 1898 in Castelforte, Italy, DiSpirito started working with his
father as an apprentice stonemason at the age of eleven. He studied
painting
briefly, and served in the Italian Army in World War I from 1917-20.
To
escape poverty and the rising tide of fascism, DiSpirito emigrated
to the
United States in 1921. He settled in Utica, New York, where his
extended
family and a thriving community of Italian immigrants provided social
and
economic support. DiSpirito worked as a stonecutter and bricklayer
for a
number of construction firms. In the late 1930s, the Works Progress
Administration hired DiSpirito to complete stonework for Proctor Park
in
Utica. In the early 1940s DiSpirito joined the WPA Art Project, creating
small wax figures for historical dioramas at the Children's Museum
in Utica.
In 1941, DiSpirito enrolled in night classes under Richard Davis at
the
Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute's School of Art to gain experience
in
modeling in clay. Davis encouraged DiSpirito to work in stone and mentored
him until 1943. After Davis' departure, DiSpirito set up a makeshift
table
in his backyard and began a pattern of working on construction jobs
by day
and carving stone at night and on weekends.
DiSpirito's method of carving directly in stone was partly determined
by his
craft training, but also greatly influenced by modernist sculpture
to which
he was exposed under Davis. Highly accomplished sculptors such as William
Zorach, Robert Laurent, and John Flannagan had espoused the merits
of direct
carving since the 1920s, asserting that it created an immediacy of
expression and an elemental form that captured the spirit of the subject.
Direct carving also required a mastery of craft that the modernist
artists
admired.
DiSpirito received much recognition during his lifetime. He exhibited
at the
Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Art
Institute of Chicago in the 1950s. In 1961 he retired from construction
jobs
at the age of 63, and from 1963 until his death in 1995, DiSpirito
was
artist-in-residence at Utica College of Syracuse University. In his
later
years he also sculpted in wood.
The subject matter in these sculptures reflects DiSpirito's love of
nature,
particularly in his depictions of living animals and insects. They
recall
the medieval tradition of animal carving on Romanesque and Gothic
cathedrals. These carvings, done in his spare time, were perhaps a
relief
from his work as a stonemason. They take on symbolic and moral significance
and reflect the artist's respect for all life, as well as his ability
to
reveal the life hidden in stone."
Paul S. D'Ambrosio
Chief Curator
