Frederick Hart - A Statue In Time

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This month I was in St.Augustine, Florida on a small hiatus from the daily grind; enjoying what the east coast of Florida has to offer.  Intrigued with their appreciation of preserving the past, the city takes me back into a victorian period of time that I just adore.  I love St. Augustine because of the nostagla it provides to this modern dweller, but I also love it because its a gathering place for some great art and artist from around the country and native Floridians.

Walking down St. George Street, I dead ended into a center of town filled with churches, monuments and art galleries!  It was there I patrionized the Brilliance In Color Art Gallery.  The gallery was full of amazing artists, most of them prefered the oil medium, but there was one man’s work that stuck out and caught my eye like seeing a diamond in the rough, that man was Frederick Hart. 

His work stands out because he doesn’t just sculpt, he carves a story, and what he does he does to perfection.  When you see his work, the detail and realism are so intense that it not only captures your eye, but your soul.  When it captures your soul, you know the piece is done right.  Frederick Hart sculpts in all sculpting materials, like bronze and marble, but it’s his acrylic that takes my breath away. Don’t get me wrong each piece of his is spectacular, but I’m in love with his acrylics.

Most of his acrylic work features women, free flowing and full of life with no restrictions.  He captures the beauty and essence of a woman that anyone, man or woman, can relate to.  Each piece has its own individuality, and tells its own story.  Hart’s acrylics tend to favor a matte and glossy finish to each piece giving it a feel you can’t get with other sculpting materials. Sometimes the pieces are a solid block of acrylic with the woman chizled out of an end like a ship mast, and sometimes he amazes me by having the 3D woman encased with glossy acrylic.  I don’t know how he does it, but I know I could look at and admire his work for hours.  I swear you will see something new each time you look at the piece that you’ve seen over and over, rediscovering his brillance.

In addition to Hart’s Acrylic Collection, he also has a Bronze Sculputre and Marble Structure collection, as well as the Washington National Cathedral Collection that contain a figure Ex Nihilo, which is portrayed as both man and woman; as well as Adam a strong virial man.

Hart’s love for art shows not only in his work, but in his words.  I got this paragraph directly from his biography, and to me it sums up the artist in so many ways, I quote “I believe that art has a moral responsibility, that it must pursue something higher than itself. Art must be a part of life. It must exist in the domain of the common man. It must be an enriching, ennobling and vital partner in the public pursuit of civilization. it should be a majestic presence in everyday life just as it was in the past.”  - Frederick Hart

I would love to have an interview with Frederick, but unfortunately he passed away from this life in 1999.  His memory will live on within his work and his story will never be censored as long as his pieces survive. 

You can see Hart’s collection in person at the following locations:

Brilliance In Color, Fine Art Gallery
25 King Street
St. Augustine, FL 32084
(904) 810-0460
http://www.lovesemporium.com/catalog.php?cid=50
www.frederickhart.com