Bronze Hound's Art Collection: Herman by Pat Smith (January 23, 1923

This bronze, while not strictly in line with the others in my collection, is close yet unique enough that I felt it to be a good fit, regardless. That it popped up for sale at precisely the same time and for the same starting bid amount as a coupon that I had received from eBay (I miss the old eBay Bucks program!) was just enough serendipity for me to place a bid. As nobody bid it up, I managed to get this very well sculpted and interesting bronze for a whopping $0.18 plus shipping. I couldn't be happier!

Patricia Waterman (Ballantine) Smith was born in New York City, the daughter of a publisher father and an artist and writer mother. While growing up, she lived in NYC, Maine, California and New Mexico, her youth spent shuttling between her divorced parents. As a member of the Art Students League in New York City, she studied sculpture. During WWII, she worked in the Army Medical Museum in Washington, DC. There she married her first husband and bore three children. Following a divorce, she moved with her kids to New Mexico, where in 1955 in Taos she met and married Peter Smith (d. 2018). A daughter soon followed, and the family settled in Corrales, NM, in an adobe house that they had built. She was active as a sculptor as well as civically, becoming a founding member of the Corrales Art Association, the Camel Gallery, the Visual Arts Council of the Corrales Historical Society and the Bosque Gallery. She was also known for her volunteer work in the community.

Her sculptures come up for sale infrequently, more a testament to her skill and talent than any lack of her works. By all accounts, she was fairly prolific. People hang on to her sculptures!

This bronze is titled "Herman" and is dated October '79, numbered 1 of 15 and is signed "Pat Smith." It measures 40" tall, the finished wood base adding another 5.5" to the height. Depicted here is a standing Native American man who looks to be an adult in his late teens to his 20's, or thereabout. He is handsome, well built and muscular, his long hair parted in the middle and hanging loose around his shoulders and down his back. His arms are crossed, his right hand tucked under his left bicep and left hand on his right bicep. What makes this sculpture so unusual is that he is wearing the casual dress of the late 1970's, a tight tee shirt tucked into equally tight and low slung bell-bottom (flared leg) denim jeans and plain shoes, the toes of which peek out from under the cuffs of his jeans. His pose is one of mild impatience and the expression on his face mirrors this. The sculpt is excellent, rich in detail yet subtle where necessary and very nicely proportioned, clearly created with care by an expert sculptor.

I wish I knew more about this piece, including the story behind it. I can only imagine that the model posed for this in person, given his dress and pose. Was Herman a friend of the sculptor's, someone important in either her life or family, or was he just someone Pat Smith knew? Or was he just a good looking local that she met at the grocery store? Perhaps he worked as an artists' model on other occasions? I would think that had he been a professional model, she would have sculpted him in more traditional attire and pose, which would likely have necessitated Herman changing his clothes, and they may not have had a relationship where asking him for that would have been okay. Looking at this bronze, I get the impression that there was a personal connection, that this sculpture served as a portrait of a friend. With the passing of both Pat and Pete Smith and as I had purchased this at auction from a reseller, I may never know the real story behind this one. But if anyone out there knows, please let me know!

In a strange twist, I was searching the auction sites not too long ago when a curious thing showed up. It was a framed print (marked "Artist's Proof") of a black and white drawing/painting of Herman! I was shocked, to say the least, and bid on it to win it. The print now hangs on the wall behind the bronze. The original portrait was created by the prolific New Mexico artist Jacque (Jacqueline) Evans (d. June 8, 2009 at age 79). Herman is standing in the same pose, has the same expression, and though the picture ends just below his hips, clearly is wearing the same pants. There are minor differences, of course, but the two pieces were obviously created at the same time, during the same sitting of the same model. I now lean toward both the bronze and the painting having been created at a gathering of artists, such as a class or retreat or similar. It's not all that unusual an event, actually. Foundries in the Southwest used to offer similar opportunities in the artistic heyday from the 1970's through the early 2000's, where they would hire a model for a themed sitting and offer spots on a limited basis to sculptors. Given Pat Smith's active involvement in the local art scene, I can easily imagine such an opportunity being taken up by both artists.

I may never find out how both of these lovely artworks were created. Both Pat Smith and Jacque Evans have passed on, as have those who were closest to them in 1979. If anyone out there has any information at all, please share it!

I have cleaned and waxed the bronze, as I do (eventually) with all in my care. It came to me in excellent condition however, clean with little dust in the crevices and zero damage to even the applied ferric patina or the cherry finish on the wood base. It's in beautiful condition, top to bottom. Clearly it was cared for very well and treated as the treasure it is.

Enjoy!!