H. C. Westermann
Encyclopedia
H. C. Westermann (11 December 1922 (Los Angeles, California
) – 3 November 1981 (Danbury, Connecticut
)) was an American
printmaker and sculptor whose art constituted a scathing commentary on militarism
and materialism
. His sculptures frequently incorporated traditional carpentry and marquetry
techniques.
Westermann worked in logging camps as a rail worker in the Pacific Northwest. During World War II
he served as a gunner in the U.S. Marine Corps on the aircraft carrier , witnessing numerous kamikaze
attacks and the sinking of several ships. He toured the Far East as an acrobat with the United Service Organization, and enrolled in The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1947.
In 1950, Westermann re-enlisted in the Marines for service in the Korean War
. After his discharge, he returned to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and completed his studies in fine art. The psychological effects of his wartime experiences were an underlying theme in his work.
In 1967, he was one of the celebrities featured on the cover of the Beatles' album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
.
He was given a retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art
in 1978.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
) – 3 November 1981 (Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
)) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
printmaker and sculptor whose art constituted a scathing commentary on militarism
Militarism
Militarism is defined as: the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests....
and materialism
Materialism
In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance...
. His sculptures frequently incorporated traditional carpentry and marquetry
Marquetry
Marquetry is the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures. The technique may be applied to case furniture or even seat furniture, to decorative small objects with smooth, veneerable surfaces or to freestanding pictorial panels...
techniques.
Westermann worked in logging camps as a rail worker in the Pacific Northwest. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served as a gunner in the U.S. Marine Corps on the aircraft carrier , witnessing numerous kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
attacks and the sinking of several ships. He toured the Far East as an acrobat with the United Service Organization, and enrolled in The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1947.
In 1950, Westermann re-enlisted in the Marines for service in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. After his discharge, he returned to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and completed his studies in fine art. The psychological effects of his wartime experiences were an underlying theme in his work.
In 1967, he was one of the celebrities featured on the cover of the Beatles' album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin...
.
He was given a retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
in 1978.
Works
- Untitled (in the manner of Salvador Dalí) - about 1948
- Theatrical Worlds Spirit after Bernardino Jacobi - about 1949
- A Soldier’s Dream - 1955
- Dismasted Ship - 1956
- Ensor’s Mother - 1956
- Untitled (“Unusual Physician”) - 1957
- He Whore-1957
- Memorial to the Idea of Man If He Was an Idea - 1958
- Mad House - 1958
- Burning House, 1958
- Battle of Little Big Horn - 1959
- Angry Young Machine - 1959
- Destructive Machine from Under the Sea - 1959
- Disasters in the Sky #2 - 1962
- Walnut Box - 1964
- Antimobile, 1965
- Korean KAI ASH, 1965
- Death Ship of No Port - 1967
- Green Planet (Green Planet π) - 1967
- Woman from Indianapolis (Columbia, Missouri) - 1967
- See America First - a series, 1968
- The Connecticut Ballroom - 1975-76
- They Couldn't Put “Humpty Dumpty” Back Together Again - 1980 (Honolulu Academy of ArtsHonolulu Academy of ArtsThe Honolulu Academy of Arts is an art museum in Honolulu in the state of Hawaii. Since its founding in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke and opening April 8, 1927, its collections have grown to over 40,000 works of art.-Description:...
) - Jack of Diamonds - 1981