Frederick Ruckstull
Encyclopedia
Frederick Wellington Ruckstull (May 22, 1853 - May 26, 1942) was a French-born American sculptor and art critic.
, Alsace
, France
, his family moved to St. Louis, Missouri
in 1855. He worked at a variety of unsatisfying jobs until his early twenties when an art exhibition in St. Louis inspired him to become a sculptor. He studied art locally, visited Paris
and then worked for years as a toy store clerk to save enough to study in Paris for three years. In 1885, Ruckstull entered the Académie Julian
, and studied under Gustave Boulanger
, Camille Lefèvre
, Jean Dampt
and Antonin Mercié
. He considered studying with Auguste Rodin
, but claimed to be disgusted with his style.
On returning to U.S. in 1892, Ruckstull opened a studio in New York City
. His work Evening won the grand medal for sculpture at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
. As a result of this national exposure, he was commissioned to make an equestrian statue of Major-General John F. Hartranft
for the Pennsylvania State Capitol
.
Ruckstull was a founding member of the National Sculpture Society
as well as the editor of the magazine Art World. In 1925 he wrote the book Great Works of Art and What Makes Them Great, a collection of essays he had published previously, which has recently been reprinted. His sculpture was in the figurative Beaux-Arts style, with its realism, and detailed modeling. He and other prominent sculptors of the era such as Daniel Chester French
championed the French style of studio system teaching, art societies, and exhibitions. Following the Armory Show
of 1913, he continued to represent the old guard of academic sculpture, a perspective clearly expressed in his book.
Ruckstull married in 1896 and had one son. He died in New York at the age of 89 and was cremated.
Life and career
Born Ruckstuhl in BreitenbachBreitenbach
- Places :Breitenbach is the name of several communes and places in Europe. In German, the name means 'wide brook'.Austria:*Breitenbach am Inn, in TyrolCzech Republic:*The former name of what is now PotůčkyFrance:...
, Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, his family moved to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
in 1855. He worked at a variety of unsatisfying jobs until his early twenties when an art exhibition in St. Louis inspired him to become a sculptor. He studied art locally, visited Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and then worked for years as a toy store clerk to save enough to study in Paris for three years. In 1885, Ruckstull entered the Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
, and studied under Gustave Boulanger
Gustave Boulanger
Gustave Clarence Rodolphe Boulanger was a French figure painter known for his Neo-Grec style. He was born at Paris, studied with Delaroche and Jollivet, and in 1849 took the Prix de Rome. His paintings are prime examples of academic art of the time, particularly history painting...
, Camille Lefèvre
Camille Lefèvre
Camille Lefèvre was a French sculptor.- Biography :Born in Issy-les-Moulineaux, in 1870 Lefèvre became a pupil of Jules Cavelier at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1878, he won the second Prix de Rome in sculpture. In 1893 he exhibited at the Chicago World Fair...
, Jean Dampt
Jean Dampt
Jean Baptiste Auguste Dampt was a French sculptor, medalist, and jeweler.Born in Venarey-les-Laumes as the son of a cabinetmaker, Dampt studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, then in 1874 under the leadership of François Jouffroy and Paul Dubois at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris...
and Antonin Mercié
Antonin Mercié
Marius Jean Antonin Mercié , was a French sculptor and painter.- Life :Mercié was born in Toulouse. He entered the École des Beaux Arts, Paris, and studied under Alexandre Falguière and François Jouffroy, and in 1868 gained the Grand Prix de Rome at the age of 23...
. He considered studying with Auguste Rodin
Auguste Rodin
François-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
, but claimed to be disgusted with his style.
On returning to U.S. in 1892, Ruckstull opened a studio in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His work Evening won the grand medal for sculpture at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
. As a result of this national exposure, he was commissioned to make an equestrian statue of Major-General John F. Hartranft
John F. Hartranft
John Frederick Hartranft was the 17th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1873 to 1879 and a Union Major General who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
for the Pennsylvania State Capitol
Pennsylvania State Capitol
The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is in downtown Harrisburg. It was designed in 1902 in a Beaux-Arts style with Renaissance themes throughout...
.
Ruckstull was a founding member of the National Sculpture Society
National Sculpture Society
Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding members included several renowned architects. The founding...
as well as the editor of the magazine Art World. In 1925 he wrote the book Great Works of Art and What Makes Them Great, a collection of essays he had published previously, which has recently been reprinted. His sculpture was in the figurative Beaux-Arts style, with its realism, and detailed modeling. He and other prominent sculptors of the era such as Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French was an American sculptor. His best-known work is the sculpture of a seated Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Life and career:...
championed the French style of studio system teaching, art societies, and exhibitions. Following the Armory Show
Armory Show
Many exhibitions have been held in the vast spaces of U.S. National Guard armories, but the Armory Show refers to the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art that was organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors...
of 1913, he continued to represent the old guard of academic sculpture, a perspective clearly expressed in his book.
Ruckstull married in 1896 and had one son. He died in New York at the age of 89 and was cremated.
Works
- Evening, Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
- Wade Hampton, National Statuary Hall CollectionNational Statuary Hall CollectionThe National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol comprises statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history...
, United States CapitolUnited States CapitolThe United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall... - Wade HamptonWade Hampton IIIWade Hampton III was a Confederate cavalry leader during the American Civil War and afterward a politician from South Carolina, serving as its 77th Governor and as a U.S...
, equestrian statue South Carolina State HouseSouth Carolina State HouseThe South Carolina State House is the building housing the government of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The building houses the South Carolina General Assembly and the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina. Until 1971, it also housed the Supreme Court...
grounds (1906) - Solon, Reading Room, Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
- Wisdom and Force, Appellate Division Courthouse of New York StateAppellate Division Courthouse of New York StateThe Appellate Division Courthouse of New York State is a historic court house located at 27 Madison Avenue at East 25th Street, across from Madison Square Park, in Manhattan, New York City.The limestone Beaux-Arts courthouse was designed by James Brown Lord and built in 1896-1899...
- bust(s), front portico, Library of Congress
- Uriah Milton Rose, National Statuary Hall CollectionNational Statuary Hall CollectionThe National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol comprises statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history...
United States Capitol - John F. Hartranft, Pa. Capitol, Harrisburg
- Confederate Monument, Baltimore, Maryland
- Phoenicia New York Custom HouseAlexander Hamilton U.S. Custom HouseThe Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House is a building in New York City, built 1902–1907 by the federal government to house the duty collection operations for the port of New York. It is located near the southern tip of Manhattan, next to Battery Park, at 1 Bowling Green...
- Defense of the Flag, Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
- Angels of the Confederacy, Columbia, South CarolinaColumbia, South CarolinaColumbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
. - John C. Calhoun, National Statuary Hall CollectionNational Statuary Hall CollectionThe National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol comprises statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history...
United States Capitol - Soldiers' Monument, Stafford Springs, Connecticut
- Charles Duncan McIver, University of North CarolinaUniversity of North CarolinaChartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
at Greensboro, dedidacted to the school on October 5, 1912, an anniversary of the school's founding
