Collection of the University of Pittsburgh Art Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA. Gift of The Gimbel Brothers, Inc.
1959.GIMBEL.09
Blast Furnace Casting
1947 (Date created)
October 1 1947 (Date published)
October 1 1947 (Date published)
Gouache
Painting
Paintings
33 in W
x
27.5 in H
(Frame)
23.25 in W x 17.25 in H (Image)
23.25 in W x 17.25 in H (Image)
American
Brown and sepia scene of uniformed figure watching as iron gushes in blinding stream from furnace down to runner, with steaming machinery all around.
"The worker conceals his face from the bright steam of the iron as it flows from the blast furnace toward the next stage in the steel making process. His large proportions and slouching manner emphasize the worker as a mysterious bystander of the process rather than an active agent. The solidity of the bright white molten metal flowing down the painting emphasizes the process as the subject, while the tools and labor are input props to industry. Everything within the setting of this Pittsburgh steel mill reflects the reds, oranges, and whites of the flames produced through the chemical process of manufacturing steel. The colors of the process dominate the picture illustrating the beauty and immediacy of danger of the environment by enveloping all objects in its glowing aura. The quick, flat lines and abstract silhouettes communicate the urgency of capturing a moment in time." ("SLAG", Fall 2010)
"The blast furnace makes iron for the Bessemer converters and open hearth furnaces. Here the helper watches the blinding steam of iron as it gushes from the furnace and flows down the runner across the floor toward the ladle on the tracks below." (D. Grafty, "Pennsylvania as Artists See it: The Gimbel PA Art Collection", 1948)
"The blast furnace makes iron for the Bessemer converters and open hearth furnaces. Here the helper watches the blinding steam of iron as it gushes from the furnace and flows down the runner across the floor toward the ladle on the tracks below." (D. Grafty, "Pennsylvania as Artists See it: The Gimbel PA Art Collection", 1948)
In Collection
ca. 1959, University Art Gallery Gift of Mr. Steve Osterweis, President of Gimbel Brothers, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa.
ca. 1946-1959, Gimbel Brothers, Inc.
ca. 1946-1959, Gimbel Brothers, Inc.
Catalog of October 1, 1947 (first publication of the paintings)
D. Grafty, "Pennsylvania as Artists See it: The Gimbel PA Art Collection", 1948
R. Gigler, "Pittsburgh's Man of Steel", Pittsburgh Press Roto, August 12, 1979.
O. Francis, "The Saga of Joe Magarac Steelman", Scribner's Magazine, nov. 1931.
Roy Kahn, "Real Pittsburgh: Just an Average Joe", Pittsburgh Magazine, nov. 1985, 17-18.
Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, Feb. 25, 1948
John Oliver La Gorce, "Artists Look At Pennsylvania", National Geographic Magazine
Catalogue from March 1959 when the collection was presented at the new University Student Union at Pitt (formerly Schenley Hotel).
D. Grafty, "Pennsylvania as Artists See it: The Gimbel PA Art Collection", 1948
R. Gigler, "Pittsburgh's Man of Steel", Pittsburgh Press Roto, August 12, 1979.
O. Francis, "The Saga of Joe Magarac Steelman", Scribner's Magazine, nov. 1931.
Roy Kahn, "Real Pittsburgh: Just an Average Joe", Pittsburgh Magazine, nov. 1985, 17-18.
Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, Feb. 25, 1948
John Oliver La Gorce, "Artists Look At Pennsylvania", National Geographic Magazine
Catalogue from March 1959 when the collection was presented at the new University Student Union at Pitt (formerly Schenley Hotel).
Please note that cataloging is ongoing and that some information may not be complete.
Corporate commissions
Western Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh
Industry
Social
Western Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh
Industry
Social