"Two Faces of Young Lincoln" Limited Edition of Three 2/3
Why two faces?
Always an admirer of Abe Lincoln and reading anything I could find about him I came to realize he did have two distinct sides physically as well as emotionally.
Physically: the left side of his face was very different from the right side. As is the case in all humans but to me his seems much more profound.
The left side had a turned down mouth and a lazy eye, where as the right side had a bit of a grin, ever so slight, but there.
Emotionally: On one side of Lincoln’s personality he was quite the jokester and storyteller. He loved grabbing the attention of a group of people or just two friends around the cast iron stove at the Speed store in Springfield or at the post office in Salem, holding them all in suspense for the ending of each wonderful story. Lincoln was obviously building his orator skills for his campaigns and the Presidency.
Lincoln also had a dark side. Not dark as in bad or evil but because he was very tender hearted he would go into deep depressions for days or weeks at a time. Contemplating whatever situation hurt his heart at the time. He did not understand cruelty to our fellow man hence his stand on anti-slavery. An avid animal lover he protected defenseless animals as well. Trying to reason with the owners about their actions. He grieved deeply over the loss of his first love, going off into the timber to be alone with his sorrow for many days. Now remember this is Young Lincoln, can we even comprehend how deeply he suffered for all mankind during his terms in office?
Why Young Lincoln?
When Lincoln was riding the circuit as a young lawyer from Springfield to Delavan, Pekin, Tremont, Washington and to Metamora he didn’t have that famous beard yet and I wanted to sculpt the Lincoln that touched Tazewell county, our county. When I searched for pictures of young Lincoln the photos were few and that fueling my desire to sculpt my rendition of Young Lincoln.
These opinions are my own conclusion from the reading I’ve done about the 16th President of our United States.
I hope this sculpture "speaks to you" as he has me.
