John J. Szaton was a

Polish-American Polish Americans ( pl, Polonia amerykańska) are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 9.15 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.83% ...

sculptor born in 1907 in

Ludlow, Massachusetts Ludlow is a New England town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,002 as of the 2020 census, and it is considered part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. Located just northeast of Springfield a ...

Career

Szaton apprenticed under well-known

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

sculptor

Lorado Taft Lorado Zadok Taft (April 29, 1860, in Elmwood, Illinois – October 30, 1936, in Chicago) was an American sculptor, writer and educator. His 1903 book, ''The History of American Sculpture,'' was the first survey of the subject and stood for deca ...

, who invited Szaton to come to Chicago after meeting him on a lecture tour of various high schools and art schools in Massachusetts. Szaton, who became known for his sculpture, studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and at the now-defunct National Academy of Art in Chicago. He also worked on project for Taft and other artists, including the Lincoln Trail State Memorial by Nellie Walker, his wife's aunt. Szaton also exhibited with the Polish Arts Club of Chicago During the 1940s Szaton created several other sculptures: a War Memorial (1940) at the Northwest Armory, Chicago; ''Indian Shooting the Stars'' (1947) for Lane Tech High School, Chicago, as a tribute to students who died in World War II; and ''Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep'' (1947) for Cedar Park Cemetery, Calumet Park, Illinois. Szaton continued to work at Taft's studio until it disbanded in 1947, then moved his family to Tinley Park, at that time a small rural suburb of Chicago, and commuted to Chicago to work during the week as a greeting card engraver; income from art commissions was not sufficient to sustain his family. In 1948 Szaton built a large, vaulted-ceiling garage studio behind his home and continued to work on art projects.

''The Coal Miner''

In 1963 Szaton collaborated with artist Vachel Davis to reinterpret Davis's iconic 1946 painting ''American Coal Miner'' into a permanent, sculptural memorial to coal miners. Szaton's 7-ft. bronze statue, '' The Coal Miner'', is displayed on the lawn of the

Illinois State Capitol The Illinois State Capitol, located in Springfield, Illinois, houses the Illinois General Assembly, legislative and Governor of Illinois, executive branches of the government of the U.S. state of Illinois. The current building is the sixth to serv ...

in Springfield. It was dedicated on October 16, 1964, and became his most widely known sculpture. A second ''The Coal Miner'' statue, cast in 1966, is installed on the west side of the

Indiana Statehouse The Indiana Statehouse is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of Indiana. It houses the Indiana General Assembly, the office of the Governor of Indiana, the Indiana Supreme Court, and other state officials. The Statehouse is located in ...

and was dedicated in 1967.

Death

Szaton died in 1966 and is buried in Cedar Park Cemetery,

Calumet Park, Illinois Calumet Park (formerly DeYoung) is a village in Cook County, Illinois. The population was 7,025 at the 2020 census. On May 13, 2010, Mayor Joseph DuPar and the Village Board approved renaming 127th Street as Obama Drive, in honor of the 44th Pre ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Szaton, Jonathan J. 1907 births 1966 deaths People from Tinley Park, Illinois Polish-American culture in Chicago American people of Polish descent 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists American male sculptors People from Ludlow, Massachusetts