Mark Lindquist (sculptor)
Encyclopedia
Mark Lindquist is an America
n sculptor
in wood, artist
, author
, and photographer
. Lindquist is a major figure in the redirection and resurgence of woodturning in the United States beginning in the early 1970s. Lindquist's communication of his ideas through teaching, writing, and exhibiting, has resulted in many of his pioneering aesthetics and techniques becoming common practice. In the exhibition catalog for a 1995 retrospective of Lindquist's works at the Renwick Gallery
of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
, his contributions to woodturning and wood sculpture are described as "so profound and far-reaching that they have reconstituted the field". Lindquist has often been credited with being the first turner to synthesize the disparate and diverse influences of the craft field with that of the fine arts world.
Among his notable early achievements are the introduction of the aesthetic of Asian ceramics
into American woodturning
and, along with his father, the notable wood turning pioneer Mel Lindquist
, the development of new tools and techniques that expanded the vocabulary of woodturning, and the pioneering of the use of spalted
wood. Mark Lindquist's work is characterized by an empathy with the natural aesthetics
of wood, technical innovation, and art historical
connections.
Mark Lindquist developed techniques for large-scale woodturning and, in the early 1980s, applied these techniques to create his massive, textured "Totemic Series Sculptures" in the Modernist tradition of Brâncuşi
. Beginning in 1985, Lindquist created his "Ichiboku Series" sculptures, six- to eight-foot-tall (6 foot) sculptures from a single block of wood, applying the philosophy and techniques of ninth century Japanese Buddhist woodcarving to the formal concepts of Modernism
. Unlike his earlier works, woodturning was not the primary method for their creation. When these sculptures were exhibited in 1990 along with seven other influential sculptors of the decade (including Raoul Hague and Ursula von Rydingsvard
), Lindquist's "Ichiboku" pieces distinguished themselves from others in the exhibition, and most wood artists of the time, by their identification with the spirit of the tree, a concept he adopted from the Japanese. Rather than imposing an external idea upon the wood, he "was engaged in a dialogue with trees"; this approach was antithetical to the mainstream of 20th century art
, which was intellectually removed from the appreciation of nature.
Lindquist is a member of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
.
Lindquist's work can be found on permanent display in many American museums and public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, New York City
, the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco, the Smithsonian American Art Museum
, Washington D.C., Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
and the Victoria and Albert Museum
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n sculptor
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
in wood, artist
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and photographer
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
. Lindquist is a major figure in the redirection and resurgence of woodturning in the United States beginning in the early 1970s. Lindquist's communication of his ideas through teaching, writing, and exhibiting, has resulted in many of his pioneering aesthetics and techniques becoming common practice. In the exhibition catalog for a 1995 retrospective of Lindquist's works at the Renwick Gallery
Renwick Gallery
The Renwick Gallery is a branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, located in Washington, D.C., and focuses on American craft and decorative arts from the 19th century to the 21st century...
of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is a museum in Washington, D.C. with an extensive collection of American art.Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum has a broad variety of American art that covers all regions and art movements found in the United States...
, his contributions to woodturning and wood sculpture are described as "so profound and far-reaching that they have reconstituted the field". Lindquist has often been credited with being the first turner to synthesize the disparate and diverse influences of the craft field with that of the fine arts world.
Among his notable early achievements are the introduction of the aesthetic of Asian ceramics
Ceramic art
In art history, ceramics and ceramic art mean art objects such as figures, tiles, and tableware made from clay and other raw materials by the process of pottery. Some ceramic products are regarded as fine art, while others are regarded as decorative, industrial or applied art objects, or as...
into American woodturning
Woodturning
Woodturning is a form of woodworking that is used to create wooden objects on a lathe . Woodturning differs from most other forms of woodworking in that the wood is moving while a stationary tool is used to cut and shape it...
and, along with his father, the notable wood turning pioneer Mel Lindquist
Mel Lindquist
Mel Lindquist was an engineer and renowned pioneer of the American Studio Wood Turning movement...
, the development of new tools and techniques that expanded the vocabulary of woodturning, and the pioneering of the use of spalted
Spalting
Spalting is any form of wood coloration caused by fungi. Although primarily found in dead trees, spalting can also occur under stressed tree conditions or even in living trees...
wood. Mark Lindquist's work is characterized by an empathy with the natural aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
of wood, technical innovation, and art historical
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
connections.
Mark Lindquist developed techniques for large-scale woodturning and, in the early 1980s, applied these techniques to create his massive, textured "Totemic Series Sculptures" in the Modernist tradition of Brâncuşi
Constantin Brancusi
Constantin Brâncuşi was a Romanian-born sculptor who made his career in France. As a child he displayed an aptitude for carving wooden farm tools. Formal studies took him first to Bucharest, then to Munich, then to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris...
. Beginning in 1985, Lindquist created his "Ichiboku Series" sculptures, six- to eight-foot-tall (6 foot) sculptures from a single block of wood, applying the philosophy and techniques of ninth century Japanese Buddhist woodcarving to the formal concepts of Modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
. Unlike his earlier works, woodturning was not the primary method for their creation. When these sculptures were exhibited in 1990 along with seven other influential sculptors of the decade (including Raoul Hague and Ursula von Rydingsvard
Ursula von Rydingsvard
Ursula von Rydingsvard born in Deensen, Germany is a sculptor who has been working in Brooklyn, New York for the past 30 years. She received her MFA from Columbia University in 1975 after which time she started to work with cedar, a material through which she has explored a wide range of...
), Lindquist's "Ichiboku" pieces distinguished themselves from others in the exhibition, and most wood artists of the time, by their identification with the spirit of the tree, a concept he adopted from the Japanese. Rather than imposing an external idea upon the wood, he "was engaged in a dialogue with trees"; this approach was antithetical to the mainstream of 20th century art
20th century art
20th-century art and what it became known as — modern art — really began with modernism in the late 19th century. Nineteenth-century movements of Post Impressionism and Art Nouveau led to the first twentieth-century art movements of Fauvism in France and Die Brücke in Germany. Fauvism in Paris...
, which was intellectually removed from the appreciation of nature.
Lindquist is a member of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
Phi Kappa Phi
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is an honor society established 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study and to promote the "unity and democracy of education"...
.
Lindquist's work can be found on permanent display in many American museums and public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The 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...
, 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...
, the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco, the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is a museum in Washington, D.C. with an extensive collection of American art.Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum has a broad variety of American art that covers all regions and art movements found in the United States...
, Washington D.C., Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
and the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
.
Publications
- Spalted Wood, Fine Woodworking Vol 2 No. 1, Taunton Press, 1977
- Turning Spalted Wood, Fine Woodworking, Taunton Press, 1978
- Harvesting Burls, Fine Woodworking, Taunton Press, July August 1984, No. 47
- Sculpting Wood: Contemporary Tools & Techniques, Davis Publications Inc.,U.S. 1986 ISBN 978-0-87192-177-2 and Sterling Press 1990 ISBN 978-0-87192-228-1
- Reinventing Sculpture, (Keynote speech given at the launch of Wood Turning In North America Since 1930 at The Minneapolis Institute of The Arts) (Woodturning Center Archives, Philadelphia, PA)