Alexander Blazys (USA)

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Alexander Blazys (USA) Empty Alexander Blazys (USA)

Post by Calusa Sat Sep 25, 2010 8:49 pm

Here's a curious piece I turned up a few years ago. It is a lampbase by Alexander Blazys. Blazys was a Russian sculptor in the early 20th century, who could not get the materials, such as bronze, that he needed for his work under the newly installed Communist government, so he began working with clay. He immigrated to the U.S. around 1920 and settled in the Cleveland, Ohio area where he became an art instructor at the Cleveland School of the Arts. It was there he met R. Guy Cowan, who had established the Cowan Pottery, which was a leading ceramic force in the American Art Deco movement. Cowan hired Blazys to design for the pottery, and Blazys did several well known modernist sculptures that were reproduced in limited numbers. Blazys only remained with Cowan for about 2 years. This lampbase is not a Cowan piece, but it does look like a Cowan glaze and the clay body is similar to Cowan's (There did remain a lot of interaction between The Cowan Pottery and the Cleveland School, where many of the pottery's leading artists were drawn from). Though Blazys is best known for his modernist works, he was classically trained and was quite capable of lifelike sculpture such as this piece. I have shown the base where the signature is, though it is buried under luster glaze and is hard to photo, so I also show Photoshop "traced version". Anyone have any insight or observations about his work?
url=https://servimg.com/view/15559699/69]Alexander Blazys (USA) Blazys10[/url]
Alexander Blazys (USA) Blazys11
Alexander Blazys (USA) Blazys12
Alexander Blazys (USA) Blazys14
Calusa
Calusa

Number of posts : 241
Location : California, USA
Registration date : 2010-08-22

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Alexander Blazys (USA) Empty Re: A. Blazys

Post by Duke Thu Dec 16, 2010 2:31 am

Check out the Bassett and Naumann tome on Cowan pottery - good pics will be found. Blazys is responsible for the incredible sculpture of Moses, and, in accord with his heritage, the great 4 piece Russian Dancer set. Good 'movement'. Duke
Duke
Duke

Male Number of posts : 2
Location : Indiana USA
Registration date : 2010-12-16

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