Born Ruckstuhl in Breitenbach, Alsace, France, his family moved to St. Louis, Missouri,[1] in 1855. He worked at a variety of unsatisfying jobs until his early twenties when an art exhibition in St. Louis inspired him to become a sculptor. He studied art locally, visited Paris and then worked for years as a toy store clerk to save enough to study in Paris for three years. In 1885, Ruckstull entered the Académie Julian, and studied under Gustave Boulanger, Camille Lefèvre, Jean Dampt and Antonin Mercié. He considered studying with Auguste Rodin, but claimed to be disgusted with his style.
He was also deeply involved with creating Confederate memorial sculpture, forging a sculptural iconography for the Southern ideology of the Lost Cause.[3]
Ruckstull was a founding member of the National Sculpture Society as well as the editor of the conservative magazine Art World, where he wrote under the pseudonym Petronius Arbiter, a reference to the Satyricon. In the spring of 1917, he wrote a manifesto inveighing against degenerate modernist art, where he attacked both the artworks and the artists, using racist tropes and the quasi-medical language of physiognomy to attack them.[3]
In 1925 he wrote the book Great Works of Art and What Makes Them Great, a collection of essays he had published previously, which has recently been reprinted. His sculpture was in the figurative Beaux-Arts style, with its realism, and detailed modeling. He and other prominent sculptors of the era such as Daniel Chester French championed the French style of studio system teaching, art societies, and exhibitions. Following the Armory Show of 1913, he continued to represent the old guard of academic sculpture, a perspective clearly expressed in his book.
Ruckstull married in 1896 and had one son. He died at his home in New York on May 26, 1942, four days after his 89th birthday, and was cremated.[4]
^Ruckstull, F. W. (1925). Great Works of Art and what Makes Them Great: 175 Illustrations, p. 517. Garden City Publ. ISBN0-7661-7108-6. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
^Finding aid for Schools of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Records (1879–1895). The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
^"Frederick Wellington Ruckstull, Sculptor of Monuments Here". Brooklyn Eagle. May 27, 1942. p. 11. Retrieved May 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^kelly, Cindy (May 3, 2011). Outdoor Sculpture in Baltimore: A Historical Guide to Public Art in the Monumental City. JHU Press. p. 181. ISBN9780801897221.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frederick Ruckstull.
in American public collections, on the French Sculpture Census website
January 06, 2023
frederick, ruckstull, frederick, wellington, ruckstull, german, friedrich, ruckstuhl, 1853, 1942, french, born, american, sculptor, critic, 1902bornfrederick, wellington, ruckstull, 1853, 1853breitenbach, haut, rhin, francediedmay, 1942, 1942, aged, york, york. Frederick Wellington Ruckstull German Friedrich Ruckstuhl May 22 1853 May 26 1942 was a French born American sculptor and art critic Frederick Ruckstullc 1902BornFrederick Wellington Ruckstull 1853 05 22 May 22 1853Breitenbach Haut Rhin FranceDiedMay 26 1942 1942 05 26 aged 89 New York New YorkNationalityAmericanKnown forSculpture Contents 1 Life and career 2 Works 3 References 4 External linksLife and career Edit Evening 1891 in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Born Ruckstuhl in Breitenbach Alsace France his family moved to St Louis Missouri 1 in 1855 He worked at a variety of unsatisfying jobs until his early twenties when an art exhibition in St Louis inspired him to become a sculptor He studied art locally visited Paris and then worked for years as a toy store clerk to save enough to study in Paris for three years In 1885 Ruckstull entered the Academie Julian and studied under Gustave Boulanger Camille Lefevre Jean Dampt and Antonin Mercie He considered studying with Auguste Rodin but claimed to be disgusted with his style On returning to U S in 1892 Ruckstull opened a studio in New York City His work Evening won the grand medal for sculpture at the 1893 World s Columbian Exposition As a result of this national exposure he was commissioned to make an equestrian statue of Major General John F Hartranft for the Pennsylvania State University In 1893 Ruckstull was appointed to teach modeling and marble carving at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Schools in New York City 2 He was also deeply involved with creating Confederate memorial sculpture forging a sculptural iconography for the Southern ideology of the Lost Cause 3 Ruckstull was a founding member of the National Sculpture Society as well as the editor of the conservative magazine Art World where he wrote under the pseudonym Petronius Arbiter a reference to the Satyricon In the spring of 1917 he wrote a manifesto inveighing against degenerate modernist art where he attacked both the artworks and the artists using racist tropes and the quasi medical language of physiognomy to attack them 3 In 1925 he wrote the book Great Works of Art and What Makes Them Great a collection of essays he had published previously which has recently been reprinted His sculpture was in the figurative Beaux Arts style with its realism and detailed modeling He and other prominent sculptors of the era such as Daniel Chester French championed the French style of studio system teaching art societies and exhibitions Following the Armory Show of 1913 he continued to represent the old guard of academic sculpture a perspective clearly expressed in his book Ruckstull married in 1896 and had one son He died at his home in New York on May 26 1942 four days after his 89th birthday and was cremated 4 Works Edit Soldiers and Sailors Monument Wisdom Force Evening Metropolitan Museum of Art Soldiers and Sailors Monument also known as Victory or the Peace Monument in Major John Mark Park Jamaica Queens New York City 1896 Statue of Wade Hampton III National Statuary Hall Collection United States Capitol 1929 Wade Hampton equestrian statue South Carolina State House grounds 1906 Solon Reading Room Library of Congress Wisdom and Force Appellate Division Courthouse of New York State Altar to Liberty Minerva Green Wood Cemetery Brooklyn NY 1920 Dongan Oak Monument Battle Pass Prospect Park Brooklyn NY 1922 Busts front portico Library of Congress Uriah Milton Rose National Statuary Hall Collection United States Capitol John F Hartranft Pa Capitol Harrisburg Confederate Monument Baltimore Maryland Phoenicia New York Custom House Defense of the Flag Little Rock Arkansas Angels of the Confederacy Columbia South Carolina John C Calhoun National Statuary Hall Collection United States Capitol Soldiers Monument Stafford Springs Connecticut Charles Duncan McIver permanent dead link University of North Carolina at Greensboro dedicated to the school on October 5 1912 an anniversary of the school s founding Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument Baltimore Maryland dedicated on May 2 1903 5 References EditNotes Ruckstull F W 1925 Great Works of Art and what Makes Them Great 175 Illustrations p 517 Garden City Publ ISBN 0 7661 7108 6 Retrieved August 16 2012 Finding aid for Schools of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Records 1879 1895 The Metropolitan Museum of Art Retrieved 31 July 2014 a b Lobel Michael American Degeneracy a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Frederick Wellington Ruckstull Sculptor of Monuments Here Brooklyn Eagle May 27 1942 p 11 Retrieved May 26 2022 via Newspapers com kelly Cindy May 3 2011 Outdoor Sculpture in Baltimore A Historical Guide to Public Art in the Monumental City JHU Press p 181 ISBN 9780801897221 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frederick Ruckstull National Sculpture Society Ruckstuhl Frederick Wellington New International Encyclopedia 1905 Frederick Ruckstull in American public collections on the French Sculpture Census website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Frederick Ruckstull amp oldid 1109325973, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
