GENERAL DESCRIPTION
After training in Philadelphia and New York, Dorothy Austin returned to her hometown of Dallas and began a series of male and female torsos, of which the Museum's fine Male Torso is a stellar example. The Dallas Morning News cautioned 1933 audiences, "The timid may be somewhat startled at the directness with which the young sculptor went about the business of representing a male torso."
The smooth, shiny surface of this relatively compact figure contrasts with its powerful, incised musculature. The nudity and missing appendages are reminiscent of Greek sculpture, particularly Attic kouros figures.
Drawn from
- Eleanor Jones Harvey, DMA Acquisition proposal (1994.175), March 2001.
- William Keyse Rudolph, DMA Label copy (1994.175), August 2008.
- Rick Stewart, Lone Star Regionalism: The Dallas Nine and their Circle, 1928-1945 (Austin, TX: Texas Monthly Press, 1985).
NOTES
I did not update TMS record to change the medium from white pine to mahogany, but a change form dated August 2003 (along with supportive correspondence and conservator confirmation) indicates the medium should have been revised. I photographed the change form and documents and can provide copies if verification needed. (EAS, Jan 2015) Medium has been changed to mahogany as of Feb 2017.
Have removed completed tag and retagged with draft in an attempt to trigger harvest. Jan 28, 2017. After revisions, this note is being tagged complete and the GDoc is moved to Queta's folder to be reviewed. (2/23/2017)
Add to the exhibition- Dallas Museum of Art. Lone Star Regionalism: The Dallas Nine and Their Circle, 1928-1945 [Exhibition Photographs], Collection, 1985; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth411030/ : accessed December 08, 2014), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas , Texas.
CLARIFICATION-- I did not add this exhibition to this object record because I do not see it in the photos. I believe the note above is due to the early procedures of D3Cs and my attempts to get objects connected to relevant DMA publications. In the case of Lone Star Regionalism, the exh cat is not online, so it is not worth connecting objects or artists to the records unless the specific object was included in the show.
The following essay was found on TAZ in June 2016 after this note was routed and completed. Text added to TMS as a text entry- 2/23/2017.
Male Torso, carved by Dorothy Austin in the late 1930s or early 1940s, was incredibly avant-garde for its time. Working from direct observation, the artist created a modern-day kouros, a type of sculpture that traces its roots back to ancient Greece. The kouros, or sculpture of the ideal male youth, typically depicts an adolescent boy or a young man with a lean yet muscular build. The earliest kouroi are shown with one leg stepping ahead in front of the other to indicate movement. Later versions employ a contrapposto stance with an engaged, stabilizing leg supporting the weight of the body and a free, relaxed leg that bends at the knee. In Male Torso, the figure’s left leg stands in front of the right leg, thus referencing this ancient mode of representation. The affiliation with antiquity is further enhanced by the amputation of the figure’s head, arms, and lower legs. In this way the sculpture resembles a marble ruin that has been damaged yet stands the test of time.
A sculpture of grace and masculine strength, Male Torso held a special place in Austin’s memory. In the words of the artist, “My model for the mahogany torso was a lovely Mexican named Austin Barbosa. He was the model for the Indian at the Hall of State. When we had our reunion for the Centennial art project, he came right up to me and said, ‘Miss Austin, where is my torso?’”
Alexandra Wellington, DMA research essay (1994.175), June 2011.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Produced- Dallas, TX
Artist worked- Dallas, TX
Process/materials
pine : AAT
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
- nude: AAT: 300189568
- torso: AAT: 300375051
- kouros: AAT: 300047570
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1994: Dr. Robert W. and Elizabeth N. Webb, Dallas, TX
From 1994: Dallas Museum of Art, gift from the above
AUDIO ASSETS
Dorothy Austin Interview at the Dallas Museum of Art, October 30, 2009. Transcribed by Hillary Bober.13310634: UMO
Object number added to Piction.
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
- "Her hobbies are Chinese poetry and the serving of chicken piloff suppers in her studio." [italics in original] (Esse F. O'Brien, Art and Artists of Texas (Dallas, 1935), 239.)
- A sculpture of grace and masculine strength, Male Torso held a special place in Austin’s memory. In the words of the artist, “My model for the mahogany torso was a lovely Mexican named Austin Barbosa. He was the model for the Indian at the Hall of State. When we had our reunion for the Centennial art project, he came right up to me and said, ‘Miss Austin, where is my torso?’”
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1994.175
Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
After training in Philadelphia and New York, Dorothy Austin returned to her hometown of Dallas and began a series of male and female torsos, of which the Museum's fine Male Torso is a stellar example. The Dallas Morning News cautioned 1933 audiences, "The timid may be somewhat startled at the directness with which the young sculptor went about the business of representing a male torso."
The smooth, shiny surface of this relatively compact figure contrasts with its powerful, incised musculature. The nudity and missing appendages are reminiscent of Greek sculpture, particularly Attic kouros figures.
Drawn from
- Eleanor Jones Harvey, DMA Acquisition proposal (1994.175), March 2001.
- William Keyse Rudolph, DMA Label copy (1994.175), August 2008.
- Rick Stewart, Lone Star Regionalism: The Dallas Nine and their Circle, 1928-1945 (Austin, TX: Texas Monthly Press, 1985).
Fun Facts
- "Her hobbies are Chinese poetry and the serving of chicken piloff suppers in her studio." [italics in original] (Esse F. O'Brien, Art and Artists of Texas (Dallas, 1935), 239.)
- A sculpture of grace and masculine strength, Male Torso held a special place in Austin’s memory. In the words of the artist, “My model for the mahogany torso was a lovely Mexican named Austin Barbosa. He was the model for the Indian at the Hall of State. When we had our reunion for the Centennial art project, he came right up to me and said, ‘Miss Austin, where is my torso?’”
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
I did not update TMS record to change the medium from white pine to mahogany, but a change form dated August 2003 (along with supportive correspondence and conservator confirmation) indicates the medium should have been revised. I photographed the change form and documents and can provide copies if verification needed. (EAS, Jan 2015) Medium has been changed to mahogany as of Feb 2017.
Have removed completed tag and retagged with draft in an attempt to trigger harvest. Jan 28, 2017. After revisions, this note is being tagged complete and the GDoc is moved to Queta's folder to be reviewed. (2/23/2017)
Add to the exhibition- Dallas Museum of Art. Lone Star Regionalism: The Dallas Nine and Their Circle, 1928-1945 [Exhibition Photographs], Collection, 1985; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth411030/ : accessed December 08, 2014), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas , Texas.
CLARIFICATION-- I did not add this exhibition to this object record because I do not see it in the photos. I believe the note above is due to the early procedures of D3Cs and my attempts to get objects connected to relevant DMA publications. In the case of Lone Star Regionalism, the exh cat is not online, so it is not worth connecting objects or artists to the records unless the specific object was included in the show.
The following essay was found on TAZ in June 2016 after this note was routed and completed. Text added to TMS as a text entry- 2/23/2017.
Male Torso, carved by Dorothy Austin in the late 1930s or early 1940s, was incredibly avant-garde for its time. Working from direct observation, the artist created a modern-day kouros, a type of sculpture that traces its roots back to ancient Greece. The kouros, or sculpture of the ideal male youth, typically depicts an adolescent boy or a young man with a lean yet muscular build. The earliest kouroi are shown with one leg stepping ahead in front of the other to indicate movement. Later versions employ a contrapposto stance with an engaged, stabilizing leg supporting the weight of the body and a free, relaxed leg that bends at the knee. In Male Torso, the figure’s left leg stands in front of the right leg, thus referencing this ancient mode of representation. The affiliation with antiquity is further enhanced by the amputation of the figure’s head, arms, and lower legs. In this way the sculpture resembles a marble ruin that has been damaged yet stands the test of time.
A sculpture of grace and masculine strength, Male Torso held a special place in Austin’s memory. In the words of the artist, “My model for the mahogany torso was a lovely Mexican named Austin Barbosa. He was the model for the Indian at the Hall of State. When we had our reunion for the Centennial art project, he came right up to me and said, ‘Miss Austin, where is my torso?’”
Alexandra Wellington, DMA research essay (1994.175), June 2011.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Produced- Dallas, TX
Artist worked- Dallas, TX
Process/materials
pine : AAT
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
- nude: AAT: 300189568
- torso: AAT: 300375051
- kouros: AAT: 300047570
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1994: Dr. Robert W. and Elizabeth N. Webb, Dallas, TX
From 1994: Dallas Museum of Art, gift from the above
AUDIO ASSETS
Dorothy Austin Interview at the Dallas Museum of Art, October 30, 2009. Transcribed by Hillary Bober.13310634: UMO
Object number added to Piction.
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1994.175
source file
object_notes_2_d-0432.xml.nores