Signed Flannagan Stone Sculpture and strongly attributed to John Bernard Flannagan Abstract Stone Sculpture, Nude female figure on Wood Base
Flannagan's early themes, displaying primitive influences, and invoking religious qualities, were inspired by female and animal forms, brought to life through rounded volumes and sharp planes. His sculptures, mainly of animals, range from profound to humorous in formation and are executed simply and directly. Flannagan began to carve directly in stone in 1926, preferring natural to quarried material. Especially in his sandstone, limestone and granite pieces, one senses his utter respect for natural form and texture, as if the living presence of each stone contributed to the life of the subjects chiseled into and released from it.
His style evolved through the influence of Celtic art and mythology on trips sponsored by the Weyhe Gallery to Ireland in 1930-31 and 1932-33, he eliminated detailing. He worked chiefly in fieldstone, and his pieces often reflected the themes of birth, death, and rebirth. Because of physical disabilities from a hit and run automobile accident, Flannagan committed suicide in 1942.
He is represented in the museums of various colleges including Vassar, Oberlin, Harvard, and the University of Nebraska. A mountain goat, Figure of Dignity, is in the Metropolitan Museum.
7" x 12" x 17"
Flannagan's early themes, displaying primitive influences, and invoking religious qualities, were inspired by female and animal forms, brought to life through rounded volumes and sharp planes. His sculptures, mainly of animals, range from profound to humorous in formation and are executed simply and directly. Flannagan began to carve directly in stone in 1926, preferring natural to quarried material. Especially in his sandstone, limestone and granite pieces, one senses his utter respect for natural form and texture, as if the living presence of each stone contributed to the life of the subjects chiseled into and released from it.
His style evolved through the influence of Celtic art and mythology on trips sponsored by the Weyhe Gallery to Ireland in 1930-31 and 1932-33, he eliminated detailing. He worked chiefly in fieldstone, and his pieces often reflected the themes of birth, death, and rebirth. Because of physical disabilities from a hit and run automobile accident, Flannagan committed suicide in 1942.
He is represented in the museums of various colleges including Vassar, Oberlin, Harvard, and the University of Nebraska. A mountain goat, Figure of Dignity, is in the Metropolitan Museum.
7" x 12" x 17"
Flannagan's early themes, displaying primitive influences, and invoking religious qualities, were inspired by female and animal forms, brought to life through rounded volumes and sharp planes. His sculptures, mainly of animals, range from profound to humorous in formation and are executed simply and directly. Flannagan began to carve directly in stone in 1926, preferring natural to quarried material. Especially in his sandstone, limestone and granite pieces, one senses his utter respect for natural form and texture, as if the living presence of each stone contributed to the life of the subjects chiseled into and released from it.
His style evolved through the influence of Celtic art and mythology on trips sponsored by the Weyhe Gallery to Ireland in 1930-31 and 1932-33, he eliminated detailing. He worked chiefly in fieldstone, and his pieces often reflected the themes of birth, death, and rebirth. Because of physical disabilities from a hit and run automobile accident, Flannagan committed suicide in 1942.
He is represented in the museums of various colleges including Vassar, Oberlin, Harvard, and the University of Nebraska. A mountain goat, Figure of Dignity, is in the Metropolitan Museum.
7" x 12" x 17"
