I ' J H. C. Westermann Selections from the Alan and Dorothy Press Collection

A top H. C. Westermann's remarkable sculpted still life, Westermann's Table, rest eight leather-bound books, each a

treatise on western culture and civilization. Ranging from studies of primitive man to illustrated bibles, these books seem to be part of the long tradition of self-conscious intellectual revelation in portrait art, in which sitters are commonly shown with their literary sources in order to suggest the breadth and depth of their intellects. Yet, contrary to expectation, Westermann 's Table offers no such insight, for the books are emphatically bolted shut, inaccessible to viewer and, we suspect, artist alike. The quintessential expression of a unique creative sensibility, Westermann's Table is a personal declaration of independence from all manner of received cultural tradition, which, history teaches, should inform and enrich works of art. For H. C. Westermann, personal experience and a brilliant imagination provided enough subjects for a lifetime of creation.

Westermann's Table is the work of a mature and confident sculptor. It was made in 1966, when the artist was 44 years old, and after he had experienced modern life in all its richness. H. C. Westermann was born and attended high school in Los Angeles, and he subsequently worked in the lumber industry in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. In

Death Ship Out of San Pedro, Adrift, 1980

1942, he enlisted in the Marines, serving as a gunner on the carrier Enterprise in the Pacific, and he was aboard when the ship was attacked and severely damaged during a kamikazee attack in 1945. Following the war, Westermann formed one half of a two-man acrobatic balancing act, and he spent a year touring the Far East with the U.S.O. While in Shanghai, he married a fellow performer, June LaFord, and, in 1947, they settled in Chicago, where he studied advertising and design at the School of the Art Institute. All did not go smoothly, however. The marriage ended in 1950, and Westermann reenlisted in the Marines and served a one-year tour of duty in Korea. Returning to Chicago and the Art Institute in 1952, he supported himself as a handyman and self-trained carpenter.

Although Westermann painted during these years and exhibited his work in 1953-54, he quickly restricted himself to sculpture. His absorption in perfecting the techniques of carpentry served him well, as he was soon producing meticulously crafted wooden sculptures without equal in modern art. Among the predominant concerns of Westerman n's early work was the artist's self-doubt following the failure of his first marriage. I Wonder if I Really Love Her (1958) is a stepped plywood sculpture in the form of a pregnant torso. The figure is open above the waist, revealing a blood-red fetus

Texas Cactus, 1979-80

inside. This haunting image may relate to his separation from his son, Greggory, as a result of his divorce.

The other major subject to emerge in Westermann 's early work, one that would prevail throughout his career, was the artist's experience of the cataclysmic last years of World War 11 in the Pacific. Westermann witnessed the deaths of hundreds of servicemen in bombing raids and was profoundly affected by the powerlessness of the individual in the face of such destruction. He sought to exorcise the effects of war and the emotions it had engendered by exploring the subject in numerous sculptures and drawings. Perhaps the most poignant of Westerman n's sculptures on this theme was also his first, A Soldier's Dream (1955), a small maple and red glass box. While above the box a brass flame burns brightly, a small, lifeless, and pitiful figure hangs in a red hell below.

Significantly, Westermann never attempted a narrative exposition of his experiences, concentrating instead on a few highly charged motifs. Primary among these was the "death ship ," which he developed in sculptures of tar, brass , and wood that evoke a sense of man's desolation and helplessness when ravaged

by war. It should be emphasized that Westermann's expression was neither partisan nor nationalistic. Works on paper such as 15 Ships (of over 500 Tons) Vanish Every Year from the Face of the Eat1h ! ! ! Without a Trace. No Survivors, Nothing! (1966) and Japanese Carrier After the Battle of Midway (197 4) demonstrate the depth of Westermann's humanistic response as well as his creative range as an artist. The dramatic tension that he achieved in sculpture through his precisely dovetailed corners and doweled joints translated well into the taut, animated lines and gestures of his drawings. The threatening and occasionally gruesome content of the drawings is mitigated by the artist's witty illustrational style. Like the death ships and other sculptures devoted to the subject of war, the drawings never burden and always delight; Westerman n's serious commentary is balanced by his intuitive sense of irony and humor.

Despite the fact that the "death ship" theme resonates throughout Westermann's career, it is difficult to speak of a consistent iconography in his work. The artist created a body of independently conceived objects, each of which speaks with a unique voice and considerable mystery. Although his vivid and wide-ranging imagination gave rise to a diverse oeuvre, certain formats do appear with some consistency, among them small, glass-enclosed boxes. These began to appear in the mid-1950s with works such as A Soldier's Dream and include the later sculptures A Little Black Cage (1965), Rotting Jet Wing (1966), and The Dancing Teacher(1972). Westermann used these environments in a variety of ways. A Little Black Cage is a desolate, uninhabited gymnasium referring evocatively to his experience as an acrobat in the 1940s. Larger in scale, Rotting Jet Wing is also more political in implication, since its anti-war message dates to the height of the Vietnam War. If The Dancing Teacher seems somewhat more whimsical, it remains troubling psychologically and invites comparison with Alberto Giacometti 's Surrealist masterpiece The Palace at 4 a.m. (1932-33) . In contrast to the box constructions of Joseph Cornell , which are vehicles for the distillation and evocation of time and poetic sentiment, Westerman n's boxes are characterized by contents that are more extreme, enigmatic, and, ultimately, more disconcerting.

In the mid-1960s, the nature of Westerman n's work changed, as his sculpture became less private and self­absorbed. His signature work, Westermann's Table, dates to this period, as do other major works such as

A Soldier's Dream, 1955

Untitled (Homage to Elie Nadelman) (1965) and Little Egypt(1969) . There is great diversity and range of achievement in Westermann's late works. Dove-tailed House (1979) and Texas Cactus (1979-80) are brilliantly polychromed, as the sculptor perfected intricate enamelling processes during these years. He also made forays into the field of figurative sculpture, employing artificial turf and metal screening in over-life-size works such as Hutch-One-Armed "Astra-turf" Man with a Defense (1976) and Jack of Diamonds (1981 ).

The formal inventiveness and increased ambition of these late sculptures are evident in the late drawings as well.

Emerging in these works are vivid self­portrait fantasies of the artist as a tuxedo-clad dandy, braving vast deserts and densely forested jungles. As wartime and sexual themes decreased in number, so, too, did the degree of anxiety manifest in Westermann 's work. In part this was doubtless attributable to his improved personal circumstances, as, in 1961 , the sculptor and his second wife, Joanna Beall, established a permanent home on a farm in Connecticut, where they lived until his death in 1981. Westermann's new confidence was also the result of numerous exhibitions in American galleries and museums, which increased his recognition in the art world.

In assessing the work of H. C. Westermann, it is important to avoid categorization and classification , for the artist's achievement exists largely outside the boundaries of style. Reclusive and largely unaffected by shifts in the art world, Westermann made sculpture for his own private purposes. The work ethic that one senses in his sculptures reveals the manner by which Westermann established order and control in an often irrational world. Ultimately, Westermann was true only to his own remarkable imagination, and the quality of his work resides in the single-mindedness with which he objectified his vision .

Neal Benezra Associate Curator in Charge, Department of Twentieth-Century Painting and Sculpture

Central America, 1973

Checklist of the Exhibition

Sculpture

A Soldier's Dream, 1955 Maple, brass, and stained glass 29 x 15 x 11 112 inches

I Wonder if I Really Love Her, 1958 Laminated plywood 32 x 20 1/2 x 22 inches

Social Problems, 1964 Pine, glass, rubber tubing, and steel wool 221/4x18 5/8 x 71/2 inches

A Little Black Cage, 1965 Walnut, enamel, and copper-wire screen 151/2x111/2x121/2 inches

Suicide Tower, 1965 Philippine mahogany, brass, and ebony 44 x 14 x 12 inches

Untitled (Homage to Elie Nadelman), 1965 Douglas fir, ash, and lead 48 x 30 x 30 inches

Rotting Jet Wing, 1966 Glass and wood 38 x 27 x 15 inches

Westermann 's Table, 1966 Laminated Douglas fir plywood, leather-bound books, and steel 51 x 30 x 30 inches

Control, 1968 Copper, wood, plate glass, tar, and feathers 25 1/2 x 11 1/8 x 111/8 inches

Little Egypt, 1969 Fir, pine, and metal 68 x 31 x 31 inches

The Dancing Teacher, 1972 Copper screen, glass, lead, and wood 21 x 28 x 17 3/4 inches

The Pig House, 1972 Copper screen, pine, difu wood, enamel, and rubber 48 1 /2 x 37 3/4 x 17 3/4 inches

Untitled (Peanut), 1973 Eastern pine and walnut 13 3/4 x 24 x 9 3/4 inches

Hutch-One-Armed "Astra-turf" Man with a Defense, 1976 Astro-turf, pine, ash, aspen wood, and sticks 75 x 29 x 20 inches

Dove-tailed House, 1979 Pine, enamel, plate glass, and lead 14x19 x 20 inches

15 Ships (of over 500 Tons) Vanish Every Year from the Face of the Earth!'! Without a Trace. No Survivors. Nothing! , 1966

Texas Cactus, 1979-80 Royal Marine Douglas fir plywood, enamel, and Sugar pine 57 x 24 x 20 inches

Death Ship Out of San Pedro, Adrift, 1980 Gabon ebony and brass 7 x 24 x 6 inches

Jack of Diamonds, 1981 Galvanized wire lath, brass bolts and washers, oak, pine, and wax 79 3/4 x 38 x 23 1 /2 inches

Works on Paper

15 Ships (of over 500 Tons) Vanish Every Year from the Face of the Earth!!! Without a Trace. No Survivors. Nothing!, 1966 Ink 131/2x10 inches

The Hunter, 1971 Ink 22 1/4 x 30 inches

Airplane Hanger #211, 1973 Ink and watercolor 22 x 30 inches

Central America, 1973 Ink and watercolor 22 x 30 inches

Crash in the Jungle, 1973 Ink and watercolor 22 x 30 inches

Right: Jack of Diamonds, 1981

Japanese Carrier After the Battle of Midway, 1974 Ink and watercolor 22 1/4 x 30 inches

In the Desert, 1977 Ink and watercolor 22 x 30 inches

The Wrong Mother, 1977 Ink and watercolor 22 1 /2 x 30 inches

Wonder Bread Picture, 1977 Ink and watercolor 22 1/2 x 30 inchesA

Escape Down the Still River, 1979 Ink and watercolor 22 x 30 3/4 inches

Woman Descending into Paradise, 1979 Ink and watercolor 221/4 x 30 3/4 inches

Ghost Town, 1981 Ink and watercolor 22 x 30 1/2 inches