George Segal

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George Segal
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George Segal (1924 - 2000)

• Parents had migrated from Eastern Europe, Segals
  family were the archetypal proletariats.
• Segal received is BFA in 46 and pursued a
  teaching career in 49. Conferred with an MA in
  63 and earned a myriad of Honourary Doctorates
  in the following years. Studied under Hans
  Hoffman (same teacher of Pollock).
• Experimented with Ab Ex but ultimately feels that
  abstractionism is not his shtick.
• Both a 2D and 3D artist, Segals sculpture is his
  greatest contribution --gt major influence on
  Hanson and de Andrea
• Labeled a Pop Artist by many because he depicted
  popular culture, though he is one of the
  fore-fathers of Photo-Realism (though not a
  true Photo-Realist)

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George Segal The Girl Friends (1969)
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George Segal Woman on White Wicker Rocker (1984)
bronze with white patina sculpture
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Discovering his flavour

• As stated, Segal started to work in an Ab Ex
  manner but found working from the internal too
  odd and took the abstract quality out --gt early
  painting expressionistic.
• Segals early works pieces were made with wire,
  burlap, and plaster and looked like they had
  stepped out of one of his expressionist
  paintings.
• While teaching a night course one of his students
  brought in some medical plaster used by doctors
  for broken bones --gtSegal saw the potential and
  has his wife cast his own body.
• First piece done in 67, called Man in a Chair
• Segal often adds real objects to the sculptures
  to create a real life tableaux (motionless
  figures to create a real life story)

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George Segal The Diner, (1964-1966) plaster,
wood, chrome, laminated plastic, Masonite,
fluorescent lamp, glass, paper
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Segal Street Crossing (1992) Bronze with white
patina
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George Segal The Dancers, (1971) Bronze with
white patina
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Considering Segal

• What sorts of elements do you find interesting
  about Segals work?
• How is Segals work different to Hansons? Does
  this change the impact of the work? Why/ why
  not?
• What sorts of feelings do you get when you look
  at these works?
• Other than Hanson, which other Realist does Segal
  remind you of? Why?

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Segal Couple in Open Doorway (1977)
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Segal Standing Woman Looking Into Mirror (1996)
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Segals painted sculptures

• Segal began occasionally painting the white
  plaster sculptures in 1965.
• He used bright, vivid primary colors which he
  felt introduced an element of fantasy.
• At first these painted sculptures were very
  controversial with critics, who generally felt
  that the paint diminished the power of Segal's
  white sculpture.
• What do you think?

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Segal The Gas Station (1963) plaster figures and
objects
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The Gas Station

• "I was more concerned with how it felt to be in
  and pass by gas stations. The piece is
  twenty-five feet of darkness punctuated by abrupt
  geometric forms that resemble tires, oil cans,
  and coke machine. I'm interested in the colours,
  the lights, the tired young man, the energetic
  older man, how long it takes me to walk the long
  corridor. -George Segal