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Winston Churchill by Marc Mellon |
Click to enlarge:
[WINSTON CHURCHILL].
Bronze sculpture signed, inscribed © Marc Mellon 1998, stamped “4/9”. 17" high x 14" wide x 11.5" deep, plus green marble base 4" high x 8.5" wide x 6.5" deep.
Inventory #26002.04
Price: $55,000
The first sculpture in a group of 20th century legends commissioned by an Indiana collector between 1998 and 2004. (Churchill, Albert Einstein, Muhammad Ali, Ronald Reagan, and Theodore Roosevelt)
Winston Churchill
“I thought often of the truly unique strength Churchill brought to the darkest years of World War II, of how lucidly he described the evil the world was facing and how resolutely he led Britain to hold out, very nearly alone, for years. Churchill weaponized words, but also had a great sense of wit.”
“I had to acknowledge the slight distortion or asymmetry of his lips when his practically ever-present cigar was out of place. I couldn’t escape thinking of the famous photograph of a glaring Churchill, taken, it is said, after Karsh personally removed the cigar from Churchill’s mouth.”
“Acclaimed portrait painter Everett Raymond Kinstler saw my bust in an early stage, and gave me an unforgettable comment: ‘Think bulldog!’ he exclaimed, while jutting out his own chin, accentuating the gesture with a flattened hand underneath.”
“Churchill’s granddaughter Edwina Sandys later saw images of the finished bust. “Oh, I like this,” she said, then adding after a pause, ‘You’ve captured something I don’t usually see in his portraits…. something of his sweetness.’”
Collections
- Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, Connecticut
- Salmagundi Club, New York, New York
- Private collection, Washington, D.C. (DMR)
Marc Mellon’s Process
“After gleaning through countless images, I identify several as “quintessential.” The best become touchstones that I refer back to frequently, both for likeness and for emotional content. My goal is to develop a multi-dimensional portrait, taking advantage of the three physical dimensions, but also trying to capture additional dimensions of the subject’s personality. I look at sculpture holistically, have to build up to that view by view, from every angle, without losing the overall impression.”
