PaperCharcoalinkPencil

2023.02

Schwenke Auctions

1961

20th Century

in the PMU collection

42 in

174 in

14.5 feet long by 3.5 feet tall

The artist (1883-1978); by descent to his daughter Dorothy Savage Crawford (1922-2017), Woodbury, CT; by descent to her son Walter Crawford (1951-2024), Woodbury, CT; [Schwenke Auctioneers, Woodbury, CT] {1}; purchased by Purdue University Galleries. {1} May 23, 2023 Lot 541

Mystery Monday

Today we are excited to announce the newest acquisition to Purdue University’s collection. It is related to a beloved artwork on campus. Do you recognize this figure? If you guessed the Spirit of the Land Grant College mural in HSSE, you would be correct. Hoosier artist Eugene Savage (1883-1978) was hired to paint the iconic mural for the newly built Stewart Center in 1961 showing the progress of higher education from the 19th century through the 20th century. For a useful explanation on the narrative, check out Purdue University Libraries’ website (https://www.lib.purdue.edu/libraries/hsse/spiritlandgrant). While planning the composition, Savage drafted a preparatory sketch in charcoal and pencil, known as a cartoon, and that sketch is the newest piece in Purdue’s art collection. You might ask, how are artworks acquired for Purdue University Galleries? As mentioned in last week’s post, most of our collection comes through donations, but we also purchase works directly from artists, from galleries and dealers, or even at auctions. In the case of the Eugene Savage sketch, an auction house in Woodbury, Connecticut working with Savage’s heirs sold off his old sketches and drawings at the end of May. Among the lots was Spirit of the Land Grant College. It measures an amazing 174 inches which is 14.5 feet long! After successfully bidding on the work, it arrived on campus last week and we are currently letting it rest on a very long conference table to help the paper relax after being rolled for decades. It is particularly interesting to compare the finished mural with the drawing. At points you can see where Savage erased elements or shifted the placement of figures as he worked through the composition. It is not currently on display, but we hope to put it on view very soon. Stay tuned for more information and be sure to check in next week for another Mystery Monday. Title: Preparatory cartoon for Spirit of the Land Grant College Artist, Eugene Savage (1883-1978), American Date: 1961 Medium: Charcoal and pencil on paper Technique: Drawing Accession number: 2023.03