Niagara Council of the Arts and private owner

Niagara Falls, NY, Italy

This is the first bronze casting made by John Vassar House sculptor (JVH) in Rome and this is what he wrote to his parents about it:

 “Dear Mom, Dad and Gran, My casting came back from the foundry. Finally! It’s in good shape, although like everything else I’ve made, I now can see a half a dozen alterations + variations that would have improved it. It’s incredible: this is the only thing I’ve cast since being in Italy (+ it’s the first casting I’ve ever had, except for small solid things I’ve cast myself). As soon as I finish working on the patina, a photo should be on the way for your scrutiny.”

The sculpture measures 60hx30x45 cm and is the first of a series of JVH sculptures he will cast with themes related to the Pods and their Seeds for the coming five years. The concept of Pods protecting and providing nutrients to the seeds and the concept of Birth are best expressed by G.C. Argan in the 1962 Galleria l’Attico show: “the leitmotiv of his poetics is the myth, uncovered and occult, of the organic world – what lies above and below the visible aspects of reality.”

A limited edition of two Births were cast.