Richard W. Bock (July 16, 1865 – 1949) was an American sculptor and associate of
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...
.
He was particularly known for his sculptural decorations for architecture and military memorials,
[Lorado Taft]
''The History of American Sculpture''
Consulted on August 14, 2007. along with the work he conducted alongside Wright.
Early years
He was born on July 16, 1865 in
Schloppe, Germany but moved to
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
, United States, with his family as a youth, where he grew up in German neighborhoods.
[Anthony Alofsin]
''Frank Lloyd Wright--The Lost Years, 1910-1922: A Study of Influence''
Consulted on August 15, 2007.
Three years in school at the
Berlin Academy studying with
Schaper was followed by more studying at the
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centur ...
in Paris under
Alexandre Falguière
Jean Alexandre Joseph Falguière (also given as Jean-Joseph-Alexandre Falguière, or in short Alexandre Falguière) (7 September 183120 April 1900) was a French sculptor and painter.
Biography
Falguière was born in Toulouse. A pupil of the � ...
and then a tour of
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...
, Italy.
[Donald Hoffmann]
''Frank Lloyd Wright's Dana House''
Consulted on August 14, 2007. In 1891 he returned to his American hometown of Chicago to establish a permanent sculpture studio downtown. Almost immediately upon Bock's return to America, he received three major commissions. For the
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...
in 1893, he sculpted major architectural works for two of the event's primary buildings, the Mining and Electricity Exposition Halls. He took on a 14-year-old apprentice,
James Earle Fraser, who would later design the famous sculpture ''The End of the Trail'' and the
Buffalo nickel.
[August L. Freundlich]
''The Sculpture of James Earle Fraser''
Consulted on August 15, 2007.
Image:RBChicagoExpo1.jpg, Columbian Exposition, Electricity Building
Image:RBChicagoExpo7.jpg, detail
Image:RBChicagoExpo6.jpg, Columbian Exposition Mining Building
Image:RBChicagoExpo5.jpg, detail
He also won a competition to execute an exterior sculpture at the
Indianapolis Public Library in 1892.
He created interior bas-reliefs for Chicago's famous
Schiller Building, during which time, in the winter of 1891 to 1892, Bock studied under its architect
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago School, a mentor to Frank Lloy ...
.
It was in the Sullivan's office that Bock met
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...
.
Bock also created the
Elijah P. Lovejoy Monument in
Alton, Illinois
Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is a p ...
along with a bronze group of sculptures in
Chickamauga, Georgia
Chickamauga is a city in Walker County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,917 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Before the 1800s, the Chickamauga Cherokee settled around ...
. For the
Trans-Mississippi Exposition
The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was a world's fair held in Omaha, Nebraska from June 1 to November 1 of 1898. Its goal was to showcase the development of the entire West, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Co ...
in
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest ...
in 1898, Bock composed all the sculptures for the Machinery and Electricity Building, a centerpiece of the fair. At the same time, he made the
pediment
Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape.
Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds.
A pedim ...
s for Omaha's
Burlington Train Station.
On November 1, 1899, Bock married Martha Higgins Methven, sister of his colleague
Harry Wallace Methven. After returning from their honeymoon, Bock won a competition to help create the
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 Rock ...
monument at the
Shiloh Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
battlefield. He also worked on sculptures for the
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
State Building at the 1904
St. Louis World's Fair
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds totaling $15 milli ...
.
Collaboration with Frank Lloyd Wright
Bock's first work for
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...
was a frieze for the third floor of the
Heller House in 1896. In 1898, Wright asked Bock to create sculptures for
Wright's home in
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 29th-most populous municipality in Illinois with a population of 54,583 as of the 2020 U.S. Census estimate. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated ...
. A few years earlier, Bock had created a statue of Wright's son John.
From 1903 to 1913, Bock worked almost exclusively with Wright on multiple projects,
[Robert C. Twombly]
''Frank Lloyd Wright: His Life and His Architecture''
Consulted on August 14, 2007. often making Wright's architectural sculptures. Wright requested Bock's assistance after a previous sculptor, Albert Louis Van den Berghen, was not working out as planned for a planned sculpture at the
Dana–Thomas House.
Charles E. White, Jr. wrote upon Bock's arrival at Wright's studio:
One late acquaintance, however, which gives me much pleasure, is Richard Bock, Sculptor, who has moved to Oak Park, and will occupy the balcony f the studio He has decided to put himself under Mr. W ights criticism for a period, as it is his ambition to become a solely Architectural Sculptor. He will do work for the Buffalo arkinbuilding ...
The two became close friends and their families often spent time together. Wright designed a sculpture studio for Bock in
River Forest, Illinois
River Forest is a suburban village adjacent to Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, U.S. Per the 2020 census, the population was 11,717. Two universities make their home in River Forest, Dominican University and Concordia University Chicago. The ...
called "The Gnomes." The two worked together for over 20 years.
[Carla Lind]
''Frank Lloyd Wright's Furnishings''
Consulted on August 14, 2007.
Works
Bock provided a statues for the
Dana–Thomas House in
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...
and a
plaster
Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...
frieze
In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...
for the Wright-designed
Heller House in Chicago.
[Brendan Gill]
''Many Masks: A Life of Frank Lloyd Wright''
Consulted on August 14, 2007. Bock also worked on Wright's
Unity Temple
Unity Temple is a Unitarian Universalist church in Oak Park, Illinois, and the home of the Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation. It was designed by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and built between 1905 and 1908. Unity ...
, the integrated human figures on the 1906
Larkin Administration Building
The Larkin Building was an early 20th century building. It was designed in 1903 by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1904-1906 for the Larkin Soap Company of Buffalo, New York. The five story dark red brick building used pink tinted mortar and ...
,
[Frank Lloyd Wright]
''The Early Work of Frank Lloyd Wright: The "Ausgefuhrte Bauten" of 1911''
Consulted on August 14, 2007. two statues for the
Darwin D. Martin House
The Darwin D. Martin House Complex is a historic house museum in Buffalo, New York. The property's buildings were designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright and built between 1903 and 1905. The house is considered to be one of the most imp ...
in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
,
and the sculptural program at the Midway Gardens in Chicago, which Bock supervised.
The
Horse Show Fountain in Scoville Park in
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 29th-most populous municipality in Illinois with a population of 54,583 as of the 2020 U.S. Census estimate. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated ...
, sometimes called the Wright-Bock Fountain, is generally believed to be a product of Bock, but the actual attribution is a bit fuzzy.
[ Donald P. Hallmark, a Bock historian, stated the fountain was designed by Bock between 1907 and 1908 but with the help of famous architect ]Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...
.[ It was Bock himself who suggested that it was Wright who pushed for the central opening in the fountain, and thus he "began to lay claim to the whole project."][''National Register Nomination Form'', p. 20.] The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation claims the work as a Wright design from 1903.[Frank Lloyd Wright works 1903–1904]
," ''Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation''. Retrieved 6 June 2007. The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust lists Wright as the architect and Bock as the sculptor.[Frank Lloyd Wright Architectural Guide Map, ''Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust''.]
In 1969, the badly deteriorated original fountain
A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect.
Fountains were ori ...
was reconstructed and a replica of Bock's work placed in Scoville Park at the corner of Oak Park Avenue and Lake Street in Oak Park.
Later years
Bock spent three years creating the figures for the Hippach Chapel at Chapel Hill Gardens West in Villa Park, Illinois
Villa Park is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States, within the Chicago metropolitan area. The population as of the 2020 Census is 21,113. Villa Park is a western suburb of Chicago.
History
When Ovaltine established its fact ...
. In 1929, he became the head of the Sculptural Department at the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc
Nike, Inc. ( or ) is a ...
. After retiring in 1932, he completed his career with a possible design for a colossus for the 1933 Century of Progress
A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, from 1933 to 1934. The fair, registered under the Bureau International des Expositi ...
exposition in Chicago.
In the 1940s, Bock and his wife moved to California, where he completed his autobiography.[Bock, Richard W., ''Memoirs of an American Artist'', ed. Dorathi Bock Pierre, C.C. Publishing Co., Los Angeles CA 1991] He died at the age of 84 in 1949, of Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms beco ...
.
Bock Museum
Dr. Donald Hallmark, a researcher at Greenville College
Greenville University is a private university in Greenville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the Free Methodist Church. Established as Greenville College in 1892, the institution was renamed Greenville University in 2017.
History
In 1855, Step ...
in Greenville, Illinois
:
Greenville is a city in Bond County, Illinois, United States, east of St. Louis. The population as of the 2020 census was 7,083, up from 7,000 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bond County.
Greenville is part of the St. Louis M ...
, became interested in Bock and learned that his works did not have a permanent home in a museum. He contacted the sculptor's children, who remained in possession of the collection. The children, Thorwald Methven and Dorathi Bock Pierre, donated the collection to Greenville College
Greenville University is a private university in Greenville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the Free Methodist Church. Established as Greenville College in 1892, the institution was renamed Greenville University in 2017.
History
In 1855, Step ...
in 1972 on the condition that the collection always remain on display. The Richard W. Bock Sculpture Collection includes more than 300 drawings, documents and photographs, and most importantly, over 300 bronze and plaster sculptures of Bock's. In addition, some of Frank Lloyd Wright's work which had never before been displayed became part of the collection. Renovated in 2007, the Bock museum has been redesigned as a more fitting home for Bock's masterpieces. The works include an outdoor sculpture, ''Spring''; the Darwin D. Martin House
The Darwin D. Martin House Complex is a historic house museum in Buffalo, New York. The property's buildings were designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright and built between 1903 and 1905. The house is considered to be one of the most imp ...
in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
commissioned a copy to be made of the sculpture in 2008, as part of its $50 million remodeling project.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bock, Richard
American architectural sculptors
American male sculptors
19th-century American sculptors
19th-century American male artists
20th-century American sculptors
20th-century American male artists
People from the Province of Pomerania
People from Wałcz County
Artists from Chicago
German emigrants to the United States
1865 births
1949 deaths
American alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts
Frank Lloyd Wright
Sculptors from Illinois
Paul Winter Consort members