Waylande Gregory, born Baxter Springs, KS 1905-died Elizabeth, NJ 1971 Search this
Medium:
terra cotta on glazed ware base
Dimensions:
23 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 13 3/8 in. (59.7 x 29.1 x 34.0 cm)
Type:
Sculpture
Date:
1933
Luce Center Label:
Waylande Gregory created many sculptures of figures and heads throughout his career, including portraits of Albert Einstein, Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty, and Henry Fonda. Head of a Woman was modeled in 1933, possibly just after the artist moved to New Jersey, and depicts an unidentified sitter. The use of unglazed terra-cotta, a waterproof earthenware used in bricks, suggests that Gregory may have been experimenting with outdoor sculpture.
Luce Object Quote:
"Nature . . . transforms raw clay into vitreous stone; powdered glaze into lava and crystal; pasty colors into ringing hues; earthy clamminess into cool and sonorous vitreous ceramic." Waylande Gregory, American Artist, September 1944