Madonna of the Wheat

Once graduated in 1946, he taught sculpture and figure drawing at the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee until 1951, followed by a position as a curator for the Montana Historical Society. He worked at the Smithsonian Institute as a Natural History Sculptor for six formative years, about which he said, the “scientists of the Smithsonian Institute have made me think of art as a way of life, a profession which should serve people, not as an ivory tower retreat of self fulfillment in which the artist himself and his identifying style is more important than the requirements of a job.” He moved to Edmonton, home to the largest collection of his artworks, in 1966 when he was hired by the Alberta Provincial Museum to sculpt numerous pieces for the opening of the new building in 1967. Eventually, he became a Canadian citizen and continued creating bronze sculpture from his home in Silver Creek, BC until he suffered a heart attack and died April 10, 2012.

The naturalistic bronze sculpture portrays a female figure wearing a traditional Ukrainian costume. According to the artist, “The young woman cradles the wheat in her arms as though it were a child. She feels the good earth beneath her feet and turns her face to the warm sun. Without words she is giving thanks for the miracle of the wheat” symbolizing agriculture, abundance and the fertility of the land. This figurative bronze has its roots in commemorative heroic sculpture common in European public art traditions. In keeping with the tenets of the style, the artist portrays an idealized allegorical figure that embodies the common people, in this case the early female homesteaders of Alberta. The sculpture’s didactic message extolls the virtues of traditional rural culture, conservative values, and authentic peasant culture. Although it was commissioned by the Alberta Branch of the Ukrainian Women’s Association of Canada, according to the dedication the sculpture commemorates all pioneer women of Alberta. The title, Madonna of the Wheat, canonizes the common woman and recognizes those who were commonly left out of the prevailing historic narratives. These women were often left to tend farms and raise families alone while their husbands sought seasonal labour on the railroad. By placing her on a pedestal, the artist has heightened the importance of agricultural work by female pioneers and raises her above the petty day-to-day concerns of humankind.