GREAT THINKERS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD & AGES
AN ESSAY BY THE ARTIST, JONATHAN SHERMAN
My works of Art are all created from a very deep love for human beings and the human experience. “Great Thinkers Throughout the World & Ages” began with a portrait bust of Leonardo da Vinci, and from there a vision for a series emerged, and the appropriate individuals began presenting themselves to me. It was with total reverence for the process these individuals underwent to unlock their innate magnificence, allowing them to contribute meaningfully to the collective, that this series was created. I was inspired to celebrate those who successfully aligned themselves with their wisdom, dedicated their lives to allowing it to flow through their unique means of expression, and ultimately made invaluable contributions to humanity from which we continue to benefit today.
I’ve always had a natural inclination towards portraiture, and seek to present the timeless essence of the individual in my works of Art. It’s how I found myself training and working in the center of Florence, Italy for six years. It was there, in the ateliers, that the foundation of my training began with drawing and painting from live models and studying the antique. But soon thereafter I had the good fortune of working intimately with a mentor, a Master Painter in his 80s, who opened me up to the depths of composition, and fostered my desire to go beyond a mere representation of the physical world – I wished to present the Spirit underlying Nature. It was under this mentor’s guidance that I immersed myself in the contemplation of the philosophy and history of art, and the role of the artist. Living in Florence, I had access to the world’s greatest masterpieces and antique texts, offering insight to how and why things were made during the Renaissance, as well as Greek and Roman times. And this experience led me to the place I had dreamed of: I gained the capacity to create works of Art without models, using the language of Nature, endowing them with that radiant sense of Spirit. And what I hope for with this series is that the Divine radiance of these individuals may fill the spaces they end up in with their enduring legacy, and continue to inspire great action and appreciation in the world.
Each of the individuals in the series utilized knowledge to transform themselves, cultivating great inner freedom, so that their minds were available to be utilized virtuously. Through their unique gifts and cultivation of their respective areas of knowledge, including art, mathematics, science, philosophy, poetry, and others, an enduring contribution to humanity was created, serving those of their lifetimes, and far into the vast future, the present. Their creations continue to awaken within each of us who encounters them a richer appreciation for ourselves, each other, and the world in which we live.
Leonardo da Vinci was a natural beginning for the series. He has been a guiding light for me for many years; I’m sure the reader will be familiar with his contributions to history. Confucius, whose thinking established the pillars that have supported Chinese culture for 2,500 years, centered his teachings around the cultivation of goodness in our hearts. And Hypatia of Alexandria, the third figure in the series, is one of the world’s most prominent women in all of recorded history. Revered during her lifetime as an accomplished mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher, and a respected equal among men, she influenced some of the most powerful minds of her time.
As each of these individuals present themselves to me, I reflect upon them and familiarize myself with why they are meant to be in this series. Then, when I am inspired to begin a sculpture, I create a life-size clay model; I make each one over the course of about a year. After that, each clay model is molded, from which the sculptures may be cast in bronze or plaster. I collaborate with a local foundry which utilizes the lost wax process, dating back a few thousand years, and, amazingly, little has changed in the process of bronze casting since the Ancient Greeks first invented it. So far, three sculptures have been completed, and I have recently glimpsed who the fourth and fifth figures will be and am currently contemplating them.
Like all of the works of Art I create, these sculptures are composed to soothe the body, nourish the intellect, and uplift the Spirit. And after the particular challenges of the past few years we have all experienced, my hope is that these sculptures will be radiant beacons, ennobling the homes and institutions they will come to inhabit, and inspiring others to unlock their innate magnificence and serve in kindness those of their time, and beyond.
First published in JKG Sunday Edition, Winter 2021