"Statues" and Anonymity

[Sculptor7]

While researching sculptures of Don Quixote I came across his sculptural portrayal in Madrid. However, nowhere could I find any reference to the sculptor. Why is it that when someone sculpts a commissioned portrait of an individual he or she is relegated to anonymity while those who create assemblages of metal, stone or other materials are almost always in the forefront whenever the sculpture is displayed or referenced. Of course there are individuals who present themselves in a way that calls for name recognition but, for the most part, sculptors of "statues" are nameless. This has been going on since before the introduction of computer generated 3D work. Newspapers, magazines and now the internet rarely if ever mention the creator of a portrait sculpture. When I did the portrait of Joan Benoit, winner of the first Women's Olympic Marathon in Los Angeles, I was recognized in Sports Illustrated as the sculptor. And having worked as an artist for a news organization I have gotten some nice press for other pieces. Most sculptors of portraits do not fare so well.

[GlennT]

Our reward is in heaven.*



*An advance on some of that capital here on earth would be appreciated, however.

[fritchie]

I'm afraid I'm a bit of a cynic on this. I put it down to fashion. Just as women's skirts go up and down, men's ties change from bows to cravats, sculpture over recent decades has changed from figuration to assemblages and similar.
Mind you, I have great respect for those who do these things, and we have many among our group, including the owner/manager of this site, Russ RuBert

[racine]

it is a minimal example to pick to generalize upon.....however if sculptors [any] are forgotten in credits it is usually due to 'image apathy' and sometimes photographic copyright.. click and the work is mine.. credit the photo and no room for the sculptor [credits are messy for editors and general publishers are photocentric], internet users frequently appropriate an image without crediting and it adds to the lack of social memory.
art and artists are forgotten. so as commissioned figurative workings as they can often seem repetitive and merely serving a civic function, like a road sign or traffic light. they usually get a grand inauguration then years of pigeon toilet. the further into history and the more forgetfulness occurs and is as natural as guano. the signature is still there though as is the work and many artists care more for the object than themselves and they had their day without regrets. for the egotistically minded one can always get famous, theres a greater chance of survival, so start a fashion like cellini or rodin or die in bitterness.

[hzjhds]

[quote=GlennT;101098]Our reward is in heaven.*

Yes