Gaston Lachaise
the Applied Arts
by Virginia Budny
Although Gaston Lachaise (1882 - 1935) is principally known for his monumental sculptures. He employed his professional skills from time to time in the creation of what he referred to as “lighter” or “secondary” pieces on a very different scale. Among these works of applied art are a bronze dish, a sundial, and several radiator cap ornaments, fountains, and even doorstops. Though not particularly successful from a commercial point of view, they allowed him to explore fields that delighted him - the animal world, for example, and that of the circus. He treated these subjects with a noteworthy lack of sentimentality, using their buoyant movements and forms to express a joyful response to life.
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