Seymour Lipton and Abstract Expressionism

Born on November 6 1903, Seymour Lipton was someone who did not initially plan to become a sculptor, but did so eventually in an admirable leap of career. He actually studied to be a dentist, training in dexterity and the accurate usage of finer tools. In 1932 though, he decided to switch his main focus to sculpture instead. He moved from media to media, specializing in wood, then lead, then eventually settling with bronze. He is a passionate abstract expressionist who is definitely well known today for many of his exquisite bronze and metal sculptures. Lipton also made several contributions to the world of sculpting techniques as well. He discovered that brazing nickel-silver rods onto Monel sheets could create rust-resistant surfaces.

Sculpture by Seymour Lipton - Photography by Ser Amantio di Nicolao

Lipton selects the themes of his art forms by drawing inspiration from natural things such as flight, and man-made chaos such as war. The photograph above was of Lipton's 1957 Winter Solstice II made of his specialty nickel-silver on monel sheet. It is currently at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. As an abstract expressionist sculptor, his compositional style varies a bit from piece to piece, but one may notice his chaotic drive in some works that may be attributed to his inspiration (war). Lipton's works are usually random in contour, but his media's unique properties make use of his flared protrusions and curving shapes in a good way. They reflect light through the shapes and convey a beautiful and interesting composition as a whole.