Hero Construction

This is a standing steel sculpture, about one hundred sixty-three centimeters tall, or just over five feet, roughly the height of a small adult. It sits on a low base about twelve centimeters high. At first it looks like a tall, upright figure, though it is not a realistic person. The shape is abstract, meaning it does not copy real life closely, yet you can still sense a body standing there. Look at the surface, which is rough and patchy because the figure is built from many separate pieces of metal joined together rather than carved or cast from one.

Richard Hunt made this sculpture in 1958, one year after he graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He built it from found objects, which means things that already existed and were picked up rather than bought as new material. These were old pipes, bits of metal, and automobile parts, discovered in junkyards and on the street. Hunt joined them by welding, which means melting metal pieces together with the intense flame of a torch. He used the torch like a paintbrush, shaping the figure with it much as a painter shapes an image with strokes of color.

Hunt was fascinated with mythology, the old stories of gods and heroes. This work can be compared with ancient statues of Greek heroes, and also with modern monuments to statesmen, the political leaders honored in public squares. Yet this hero is not grand or polished. Its stance is modest but monumental, which means quiet in manner yet large in presence. It suggests a contemporary hero who keeps strength despite the uncertainties and dangers of the present age. Look once more at the whole standing form, and ask how scrap metal can still feel like someone holding their ground.