Western * Indian * Pin Up Sculptures from Craig Bergsgaard
Our friend Craig Bergsgaard, a talented sculptor who specializes in Cowboys, Indians and the Saloon Girls who loved them, has released several new sculptures lately that are further proof of his talent.
In ‘Recounting the Coup’ {ABOVE & BELOW}Craig has depicted a Lakota warrior who is contemplating a life that is dwindling despite his best efforts, and his hard fight to preserve his culture.
Craig Bergsgaard has also had the recent honor of having one of his pieces welcomed into the prestigious Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, Georgia. The piece is called Memorare Sand Creek 1864 {BELOW}and it’s origin is extremely touching.
Craig’s website says his about Memorare Sand Creek 1864, “The cost of the expansion of the American West was frequently paid in sacrifice and lost lives. Yet most of us scarcely know of these battles today. One such battle, now known as the Sand Creek Massacre, occurred 145 years ago this year.
On November 29, 1864, 700 American soldiers killed and mutilated 400 Cheyenne and Arapaho men, women, and children at their encampment in eastern Colorado. The unarmed inhabitants of the camp had no chance to escape.
I wanted to memorialize this event since learning of it decades ago and insisted that the piece to be a poignant reminder without sensationalism. I mulled this composition for years before finally finding my motivation in Michelangelo’s Pietà. The resulting work depicts a Native American man bearing his wife’s lifeless body as he clutches two arrows and a fragment of an American flag.
This piece was featured in the November issue of Western Art Collector magazine to coincide with the 145th anniversary of this tragic chapter in American history.”
Craig has also recently released the first images of his newest sculpture, “Soup’s On”. This piece will be the first in a new series called Homage to the Pin Up. For Craig she is an ode to his favorite two illustrative art forms, Pin Up art and romanticized Western images from the 1940s. With her short shorts, and gun wielding efforts to ring the dinner triangle, Soup’s On is sure to fuel the fire of many a fantasy.
** Craig will be in residence at the Arizona Fine Art Expo January 14th thru March 28th, 2010, if you have an opportunity to attend this impressive event.
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about Craig Bergsgaard’s ART
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