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David Hostetler

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This article is about the American sculptor. For the American baseball player, seeDave Hostetler.

David L. Hostetler(December 27, 1926 – November 18, 2015) was awood carverandbronzesculptorof works capturing the female form. He was also aprofessor emeritusofOhio University.

Biography

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Early life

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Born inBeach City, Ohio,on December 27, 1926, Hostetler had a close relationship with hisAmishgrandfather, an influence which stayed with him throughout his career. His interest in art came by accident: duringWorld War II,while studying as an engineer in theUS Army,he suffered ashrapnelwound in the leg during a training exercise inCalifornia.While recuperating for six months, he became interested in art after receiving drawing materials from aRed Crossvolunteer. He received his art degree fromIndiana Universityin 1948 and in 1949 was awarded a Master's of Fine Arts from Ohio University, where he taught for 38 years.

Career

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His art career spanned more than 60 years, progressing fromfolkimages to stylized forms and including guest teaching and lecturing throughout the United States andMexico.Hostetler retired as a full professor of sculpture from Ohio University in 1985 where he was named Professor Emeritus. Some of his students who have gone on to fame include Jim Dine, whose work has been collected and exhibited internationally since 1960; David True, an artist who has exhibited at theWhitney Biennialand who now teaches atColumbia University;Harvey Breverman, a well-known painter and printmaker; Glenn Randall, a leader in the field of English antiques; and Dianne Perry Vanderlip, a curator of contemporary art at theDenver Art Museum.

In addition to the art and academic worlds, he explored farming, worked as a salesman, trained as an engineer and was founding an art museum, drumming in ajazzband[1]and collecting Americana.

Later life

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Hostetler and his wife, Susan Crehan-Hostetler, lived on a 40-acre (160,000 m2) farm outside Athens, Ohio during the winter months and inNantucket,Massachusetts,during the summer, where they own the Hostetler Gallery and where he played drums in his own jazz band.

His longtime appreciation of the greatJewishphilosophers inspired his interest in the Jewish faith, philosophy and way of life, and at the age of 69, Hostetler began studying toconvertto Judaism.

Hostetler died from complications of emergency gallbladder surgery on November 18, 2015.[2]

Sculpture

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Materials

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Hostetler earned wide acclaim for his unique treatment of the feminine form. Most of his pieces begin as wood carvings, with bronze versions cast directly from the wood. In the 1960s, he gained national prominence with his American Woman Series - graceful, flowing wood sculptures. He initiated the series using indigenoushardwoods(elm,white oak,walnut,maple), then progressed from folk images to stylized symbols in exotic woods (purpleheart,ziricoteandPink Ivory). The photographerYousuf Karshcreated a portrait of Hostetler surrounded by his "women". His artwork has been featured in films, on television and in newspapers and magazines.

At age 78, Hostetler embarked on a new direction in his woodcarving that is inspired by theAnasaziAmerican Indians of the southwest. Painting combined with sculptures are another avenue he was exploring.

Notable works

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The Sheffield, at 322 West 57th Street, New York City commissioned The IKON, a 13 foot tall white bronze. It is sited in a pocket park in front of the entrance to the building. It was dedicated in 2012.

Hostetler's 13-foot piece,The Duo,is in a pocket park at Trump International Hotel & Tower in New York City. Commissioned byPhilip Johnson,Donald TrumpandLizanne Galbreath,the rough-textured bronze depicts two slender figures, seemingly growing out of trees and touching at the arms. It honors the late Ohio real estate developer and philanthropist Dan Galbreath, Lizanne's father, and Trump's partner in the hotel and tower. Galbreath was a Hostetler collector.

His works appear in more than 25 museums and galleries, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Milwaukee Museum, and the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, as well as public collections in New Mexico and the Netherlands.

Grounds for Sculpturecommissioned Summertime Lady, an eleven-foot bronze, for the front of the museum that marks the entrance to the sculpture park. The painted and polished bronze figure with Ferrari red dress and BMW black hair. Summertime Lady is an example of the painted bronzes Hostetler has created using the high-quality car paint, glazurit.

Selected public locations

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  • David Hostetler, the Carver from Coolville RidgeAdams, Phillip D. (1967 ) Western Michigan University. School of Graduate Studies.
  • Hostetler the Carver,Ohio University Press
  • Masters of Wood Carving,Watson-Guptill
  • American Craftsmen,National Geographic Society
  • Contemporary Art with Wood,Crown Publishers

References

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  1. ^Gordon, Edwin (2006).Discovering Music from the Inside Out: An Autobiography.GIA Publications. p. 41.ISBN978-1-57999-569-0.Retrieved16 December2010.
  2. ^Woub, Bryan (18 November 2015)."Sculptor David Hostetler dies at 88".The Athens Messenger.
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