Sculptor and Historian Jason Arkles explores the first generation of American sculptors to travel to Europe for artistic education. The tradition atelier training they received left an impact on American figurative sculpture that still resonates today.
Jason Arkles is an American sculptor, art historian, podcaster and author living in Florence, Italy. Beginning his training as a sculptor in 1996 at the Charles H. Cecil Studio in Florence, Arkles soon began to teach in the sculpture department there, notably heading up the experimental sculpture program initiated by Cecil, which sought to revive a sculptural method based on optical and geometric processes ( in painting, known as Sight-Size), once used in the ateliers of Francois Rude and other sculptors in 19th century Paris, nowadays only known as a technique for painters and draughtsman. Recently, Arkles’ role of lecturer and instructor has come to the fore, locally and internationally. He has held a position since 2014 on the History of Art Department at the British Institute of Florence, and lectures for several institutions and studios in town. In 2015, Arkles assembled his lectures and research into a podcast called The Sculptor’s Funeral which is ongoing and reaches a global audience. In 2019, Arkles will be the Guest Speaker at the International Stone Sculptors Symposium in Washington State, USA, and present a talk at the annual convention of the National Sculpture Society in New York.
