Augustus Saint-Gaudens by Kenyon Cox (American, 1856–1919)

Kenyon Cox (American, 1856–1919) · 1887, replica 1908

This powerful oil on canvas, "Augustus Saint-Gaudens" by Kenyon Cox (1887), housed in The American Wing, offers a rare glimpse into the working studio of America's most celebrated Gilded Age sculptor. Rather than a formal portrait, Cox captures a moment of intense focus and physical creation.

Look closely at Saint-Gaudens' extended arm and hand, pressing directly into the unfinished stone relief. This is the heart of the painting, where raw material meets artistic will, illuminated by the bright luminosity of his shirt, a classical device used by Cox to highlight the act of making.

Kenyon Cox, a prominent painter, illustrator, and influential teacher at the Art Students League of New York, often depicted fellow artists and intellectuals. This portrait not only honors his friend, Saint-Gaudens, but also serves as a document of the era's artistic process and the interconnectedness of its creative minds.

What do you notice about the energy in his posture as he works?

Details

The painter Kenyon Cox captured his sculptor friend, Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

Saint-Gaudens was the most famous American sculptor of his time.

He is shown making a relief, with his right arm fully extended.

This is the point of creation, where his hand meets the stone.

Cox focused on the physical act of making something new.

Transcript

This isn't a posed portrait. It's a moment of actual work. The painter Kenyon Cox captured his sculptor friend, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Saint-Gaudens was the most famous American sculptor of his time. He is shown making a relief, with his right arm fully extended. This is the point of creation, where his hand meets the stone. Cox focused on the physical act of making something new.