Gabriel Weather Vane c. 1939

Lucille Chabot made this Gabriel Weather Vane using simple materials and tools, cutting and shaping the metal, allowing the copper and bronze to oxidize into complex, weathered surfaces. Imagine Lucille in her studio, figuring out how to capture this figure in the round, flattening him into a profile, so he can catch the wind. She’s working out how to give this simple object a sense of movement. The texture almost looks like a print, as if she's rubbing the surface to bring it into being. And the flat, even background gives it a graphic quality. I love the way the arms and the trumpet create this strong horizontal line against the vertical axis of the pole. The figure seems to be blowing right through it, pushing forward. I think of Elie Nadelman's simplified, elegant figures, or even some folk art traditions. It all comes from the same place - a need to represent something essential. Artists are always taking something from the past to make something new, in this ongoing conversation. It is an invitation to keep looking, keep searching for that connection.