Stephen Werlick (1932–2010) was an American sculptor from New York. He completed public and private commissions and participated in group and solo exhibitions in Rome, New York, and California. He was an instructor of sculpture at California State University, Long Beach from 1964 to 1999, greatly influencing

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

and

public art Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically acce ...

especially in the

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and

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

areas in addition to the art students who came to study with him from throughout the U. S. and abroad. Early Years: Werlick grew up in the Bronx. He studied at Cooper Union Art School, New York, where he took courses with

Milton Hebald Milton Elting Hebald (May 24, 1917 – January 5, 2015) was a sculptor who specialized in figurative bronze works. Twenty-three of his works are displayed in public in New York City, including the statues of Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest in f ...

John Hovannes John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

George Kratina George Kratina (February 13, 1910 – February 28, 1995) was an American sculptor. His work was part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olym ...

and

Leo Amino Leo Amino was a Japanese-American sculptor known for his Abstract Expressionist sculptures created with a variety of materials, including wood, wire, and plastics. Biography Born in 1911 in Taiwan, to Japanese parents, he spent much of his earl ...

. He earned an M.F.A. in Sculpture from

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pu ...

’s Newcomb Art School, studying with

George Rickey George Warren Rickey (June 6, 1907 – July 17, 2002) was an American kinetic sculpture, kinetic sculptor. Early life and education Rickey was born on June 6, 1907, in South Bend, Indiana. When Rickey was still a child, his father, an execu ...

. He received a

Fulbright Fellowship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

, 1956–1958, to

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, where he studied sculpture and bronze casting with

Heinrich Kirchner Heinrich may refer to: People * Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of p ...

. Werlick also was awarded the

Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Prizes have been awarded annually since 1921, with a hiatus ...

1961–1964, to the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History In 1893, a group of American architects ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. His earlier work celebrates societal human conditions as depicted in monument-like groupings of figures interacting with and through various angled planes. The feminine form is celebrated in his classical bronze figures, portraits and reliefs. His mid-career brought several commissions, among them the FINA Prize Sculpture for the Munich Olympics and World Swimming Competitions, a commission for a Holocaust memorial for Temple Judea in Southern California, a Processional Cross for the Loyola Marymount University Chapel, a bronze crucifix and candelabra for St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Los Angeles. The FINA sculpture is in the Fort Lauderdale Sports Hall of Fame. In his later years his work took on more whimsical, spontaneous and expressive forms. Adding to his extensive body of work are his transformations of wood into “tools”, undulating pieces that are wonderful to behold and touch.

References

1932 births 2010 deaths American sculptors {{US-sculptor-stub