The Boy
1900–2
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
106.7 × (diam. of pan on figure's head) 53 cm (42 × 20 7/8 in.)
Classification
sculpture
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
52724
Art Historical Context
Elihu Vedder’s bronze sculpture *The Boy* (1900–2) captures a quiet, contemplative moment in the artist’s late career. Best known as a Symbolist painter and illustrator, Vedder turned to sculpture at the turn of the twentieth century, exploring the human figure in three dimensions. This life-size work, cast in enduring bronze, reflects the period’s renewed interest in classical forms while retaining the artist’s poetic sensibility. The sculpture’s medium is especially significant: bronze allowed Vedder to model subtle textures and gestures that would last for generations. Standing over a mete...
About the Artist
Elihu Vedder · 1836–1923
Elihu Vedder was born on February 26, 1836, in New York City to Dr. Elihu Vedder Sr., a dentist, and his cousin Elizabeth Vedder. As a young boy, his family relocated to Cuba for his father's ventures, an experience that sparked his artistic aspirations amid the Caribbean landscapes. He later divided his time between a boarding school and his maternal grandfather Alexander Vedder's home in Schenec...