ISAAC WITKIN

(American born South Africa, 1936-2006)

Hawthorne Tree, 1987
cast bronze with patina
68 x 101 inches
Laumeier Sculpture Park Collection, Gift of Adam and Judy Aronson

Trained by modern masters like Anthony Caro and Henry Moore, Witkin explored both physical and psychological landscapes in his work, eventually developing a signature style of fluid and wildly organic bronze pieces. Rather than beginning with a drawing, Witkin’s ideas were conceived three-dimensionally and generated from the free flow of molten metal drawn in beds of sand, describing the process as “wresting order from chaos.”

Abstraction and figuration blend together in Hawthorne Tree. Reminiscent of a gnarled and thorny tree found in Witkin’s native South Africa, this work is one of six variations in a series, each representing different aspects of magical transformation. The theme is derived from a spell that was cast upon Merlin the Magician by a wood nymph, to whom he teaches his magic. The nymph goes forth in the guise of Merlin while he rests under the shade of a hawthorne tree. By using bronze in an expressive way to mimic nature’s way of form-making, Witkin has created a sculpture that is simultaneously grounded and weightless, enchanted and sacred.

Sculpture Interaction Guideline: Look, But Do Not Touch