Sir Adam Beck | Part 1

I'm Christian Cardell Corbet I'm a professional sculptor and painter living and working in Newfoundland and Labrador. Well, what you're looking at here is an Art Deco sculpture of Sir Adam Beck by Emmanuel Hahn as he stands in a slight leaning position against the granite stone. He's double life size and he's a hollowed bronze figure. And I'm interested in Emmanuel Hahn's work inasmuch as my mentor, Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook, was actually mentored by Emmanuel Hahn.

 Sir Adam Beck was a politician, he was a member of the Senate, he was a philanthropist. He was noted and most notably remembered as the founder of the Hydroelectric Power Commission in Ontario. And this monument and memorial, as it were, is actually Emmanuel Hahn's most important public sculptor that he created and it was a commission that he won in 1929. For Emmanuel Hahn this was the greatest commission that he ever received and the one that he was proudest of because the fountain was incorporated into the sculptural work so it actually resonated the fact that with water comes power, which was quite unique.

And as that water comes down the fountain towards you as you look at it you'll notice that it creates very soft and interesting patterns. It's an interesting thing that Adam Beck often oversaw lots of things and he was a very quiet man who often just stood back and watched. And that's precisely how Emmanuel Hahn did depict Adam Beck. Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook suggested to Emmanuel Hahn that perhaps his knee be propped forward a bit and his foot be brought onto the ground in front. More like he's almost like a stepping motion as he's leading or moving and progressing forward as he was, as he was a progressive thinker.     

Want to hear more? Check out Part 2.

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