(Continued from Wednesday, March 29. Click here to read Part 1…)
While Philadelphia artist Lou Hirshman first became known in the 1930s and 1940s for his witty three-dimensional caricatures of public figures, his subject matter evolved with the decades.
By the 1960s, he was using his found-object constructions to comment on social types ranging from psychiatrists and dictators, to pot smokers and TV viewers.
Hirshman’s 1962 “The Duel” shows two combatants – deftly outlined in long strands of string – locked in eternal combat by the children’s scissors that bind them. Their matching physiques and identical button faces hint at a different type of duel – an internal one.
Artist Lou Hirshman transformed coconut and peanut shells, matzo, peas and Chiclets into this witty caricature of JFK. Note the fish-shaped tie.
(And, yes, if you guessed that Isaiah and Julia have a few mosaic walls in their home then, well, you guessed right….)
(This wonderfully inviting inglenook shows Okie’s love of woodwork and clever design. With those big windows on the landing, how did he hide the fireplace chimney?)
(Did we mention the elaborate woodwork? And, yes, Okie carefully designed the fireplace columns to match those seen outside on the porch.)
Unexpected Philadelphia 