Fritz Bultman, Azores I, 1959, cast and welded bronze on concrete base, 71 x 45 1⁄8 x 9 1⁄8 in. (180.3 x 114.5 x 23.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection, 1980.137.15
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Azores I
- Artist
- Date
- 1959
- Location
- Dimensions
- 71 x 45 1⁄8 x 9 1⁄8 in. (180.3 x 114.5 x 23.2 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection
- Mediums Description
- cast and welded bronze on concrete base
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Abstract
- Object Number
- 1980.137.15
Artwork Description
Fritz Bultman started drawing in 1932 when the artist Morris Graves stayed in his family’s mansion. Graves, a family friend, took the thirteen-year-old Bultman to Audubon Park in New Orleans, where together they sketched many kinds of birds for hours at a time. The fluid shapes and graceful movements of cranes, egrets, and pelicans continued to inspire Bultman until his death in 1985. Azores I evokes the silhouette of a flying bird, and the title may refer to the large Mediterranean shearwater, a bird that migrates to the Azores Islands during the winter.