Washington sculptor creating new Lincoln for Springfield

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By The Associated Press | Tuesday, September 30, 2003 | (No comments posted.)

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Sculptor Larry Anderson attended Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Wash., where he edited the school newspaper and where a statue of Abraham Lincoln by Alonzo Victor Lewis is one of the most notable landmarks.

When his daughter was born, on Lincoln's birthday, there were five other Lincoln High graduates in the waiting room with Anderson. And he recently attended the 45th anniversary of his Lincoln High graduation.

"Lincoln's been a part of my life for a long time," Anderson said in a recent telephone interview.

That was why it was a special pleasure for the Washington-based sculptor to be commissioned to create a life-size bronze depiction of the Lincoln family that will one day grace the grounds of the Old Capitol Plaza in downtown Springfield.

"I'm thrilled and honored at the opportunity," Anderson said.

The $210,000 sculpture will be a highlight of a series of 20 outdoor exhibits, part of a program titled "Here I Have Lived," that is designed to illustrate Lincoln's life during his nearly 25 years in Springfield. The $769,000 program is being funded by the city of Springfield, largely through a state grant.

Other exhibits will include display boards set on steel posts around downtown Springfield that will mark sites important in Lincoln's local life, such as his law office and the barbershop where he spent time hanging out with friends.

Anderson is working on a life-sized clay and steel-rebar model for the sculpture, which will show Lincoln on his way from his law office to the Capitol to deliver a speech, pausing while his wife, Mary, adjusts his clothes. His son, Willie, is waving goodbye to his older brother, Robert, who is leaving the family group on his way to school.

"It's a made-up moment in time ... that probably didn't happen," but which represents the Lincolns' day-to-day activities before Lincoln ran for the presidency, Anderson said.

"I'm trying to reflect the effect Mary and Springfield and his law practice had on him, all of which worked toward polishing him for the task ahead,' Anderson said. "My effort is to reflect a sense of optimism, sort of a can-do attitude, rather than the looking-down, reflective, carrying-the-weight-of-the world (image of Lincoln) that was the effect of the (Civil) War."

Anderson said he did considerable research on Lincoln, reading books and studying photographs, in order to make the sculpture as accurate as possible. He said it is difficult getting the appearance just right, partly because some details of Lincoln's appearance -- the back of his head and shape of his skull, for example -- are not shown in any photo.

Getting the right look for the clothing Lincoln and his family would have worn is also difficult, Anderson said.

Anderson said that when he is done with the clay model, it will be used in what is called the "lost wax" process to create a wax model, which will then be used to make a ceramic mold to cast the parts of the figures in bronze. The parts will be assembled, detailed and polished to create the final figures.

The final sculpture will be assembled and installed in front of the Old State Capitol, probably in late spring of 2004, Anderson said.

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