Deborah Butterfield Sculpture Ferdinand

"Every Horse I make is different. It's like dancing with a new partner." Deborah Butterfield

The world-renowned artist Deborah Butterfield is best known for her sculptures of horses. Ms. Butterfield obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Davis in 1972. She furthered her education by receiving her Master's of Fine arts in 1973. Deborah Butterfield was awarded with two honorary Doctorate degrees in Fine Arts. The first Honorary Doctorate degree was presented to her from Rocky Mountain College in Billings Montana in 1977. Ms. Butterfield was given the second honorary Doctorate degree in 1998 from Montana State University. (1)

Deborah Butterfield began her career as an artist with her first sculpture piece while a college student at the University of California at Davis. Ms. Butterfield was against the war in Vietnam and decided to make a protest piece. Ms. Butterfield's first sculpture; a mare was born, made out of sticks and mud. The mare was an expression of her view of horses ridden throughout history by military war heroes. This protest against the Vietnam War in the 1970's with a sculpture of a horse began a lifelong career of sculpting horses out of found materials. (2)

Deborah Butterfield uses found materials on all of her pieces. Ms. Butterfield's horses are made using different materials of found steel, bronze, mud, sticks, found metal, straw, and driftwood branches. The involved casting of the horses can take up to three months and need up to twenty people to help complete one of Ms. Butterfield's large horses.(1)

Ms. Butterfield's horses are an expression of herself. Her horses convey her feminism, her self examination, and her private thoughts. Deborah Butterfield's horses may be a self portrait, however; she succeeds in making them obtainable and straightforward. Ms. Butterfield states that her art isn't about the horses at all. (3)

Ferdinand was made in 1990 out of found steel. Ferdinand is 77x116 x 33 inches tall. (1) Deborah Butterfield's Ferdinand is not just a horse made out of found steel. Ferdinand is a motley crew of shapes, sizes and designs. Ferdinand's nose is solid and straight whereas; his checks are rounded. Ms. Butterfield designed Ferdinand with a "V" shaped neck. The "V" is longer on the top and shorter on the bottom. The "V" angles to make the neck look more realistic. Ferdinand's backbone is a long thin strip of metal that fastens his neck and rear together.

Ferdinand's right front leg has 6 pieces of metal that constructs his right front leg which has a slight backward angle. Ms. Butterfield strategically placed an upside down "E" in Ferdinand's side that migrates through his middle to the start of his "C". Ferdinand's rear has a "C" shape placed in him that is bold and distinct. The "C" is sharp-edged and well- defined. Ferdinand has another very distinct shape in his belly. He has a square and a triangle that is placed just below the "C" that resembles a birdhouse. The birdhouse connects the "E", the "C", and his back right leg together. His back right leg is composed of two main pieces.

Ferdinand's tail is one long piece of metal that conveys the appearance of a paddle from a row boat. His left front leg is one solid piece of thin tapered metal. Ferdinand's left back leg is two pieces of metal. The bottom piece of metal has a moderate bend at the knee joint. Ferdinand has a long small piece of metal that winds around the middle of his "C" and below his front two legs and then attaches to the bottom of his neck. Ferdinand is a rustic barn red color.

The individual pieces that make up Ferdinand are unremarkable, however when assembled to bring Ferdinand to life they make him extraordinary.

Ferdinand is a unique horse. He appears to be bending forward to be waiting for someone to come nuzzle his mane. Ferdinand is real. He has spirit, although he is frozen in metal, one expects him to bolt out of the pasture at any moment on a wild gallop.

1. http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/5aa/5aa365.htm

2. http://teachersnetwork.org/lessonplans/curriculumgrant/AuClaire/Butterfield.htm

3. http:// lalouver.com