James Jean’s Woodcutter bronze sculpture from Avant Arte is drawn from the recurring character seen in his painted works. Featuring a child with cabbage hair carrying mystical logs, the piece embodies the enduring virtues of hard work and persistence as well as the vibrant spirits of the natural world.
The patinated bronze sculpture—finished in black paint with mirror-polished log face caps—draws from varied inspirations including Niomiya Sontuku, a highly respected philosopher of the Edo period, Kami spirits from Japan’s Shinto religion, and the artisanal practice of Inami Woodcarving. Starting as a humble peasant, Sontuku rose to prominence through his focus on the environment, eventually depicted in statues at Japanese elementary schools carrying a load of logs on his back. The logs carried by the Woodcutter draw conceptually from the Shinto Kami spirits believed to assist hunter-gatherers and visually from Inami Woodcarving.
“I’ve been drawing various figures carrying firewood on their backs for a long time. I think the first one was an old man, and he had a bunch of kindling on his back – there’s been a couple of other paintings with a similar theme. I decided to combine that with a character that has cabbage leaves on its head, which is another recurring image in my work. When I put it together it kind of looked like this historical figure in Japan – this philosopher called Ninomiya Kinjirō (also known as Ninomiya Sontoku) who’s known as the peasant sage. He prayed for the dignity of manual labour and helped farmers get together their finances, helping Japan prosper. There’s little statues and depictions of him as a boy carrying firewood on his back and holding a book, and I didn’t realise that connection until later on. Whenever that happens you’re channeling something from the universe.” – James Jean
An edition of 50, the Woodcutter bronze sculpture (10.6″) will be available on Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 5 AM PDT from Avant Arte for $8000. Be sure to register interest in order to be notified of this release.
