Charles Umlauf The Family Group Analysis

Assignment Four – The Family Group by Charles Umlauf

Charles Umlauf created The Family Group sculpture in 1960. The location of the sculpture is outside of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. Its green color distinguishes the sculpture from the many other sculptures around the university and from the background of the business school. Much of the evidence in the paper will come from the structure and form of the sculpture. The sculpture depicts the wife leaning on the husband showing a traditional family structure. Although the family dynamic will not play a large part of the paper, it is important to note the husband is placed as the dominant member of the family. Another important feature of the sculpture

When I first had a chance to sit and analyze the sculpture, I began with a clear understanding of what the piece meant and the explicit function it portrayed. However, the longer I viewed the sculpture the more the implicit purpose of the sculpture began to become visible. This final report will entail: the double purpose that the sculpture encompasses, the struggle between the two and my personal reflection on the assignment.

The first purpose that will be examined is the explicit purpose of The Family Group that is based on the context of the sculpture, the text on the sculpture and the background of Charles Umlauf. The sculpture clearly outlines its purpose by stating, “The family is the foundation upon which the world of business is built, and it is a vital force in the local, state, and national economy." Although the purpose is stated on the sculpture, there are contributing factors that support the claim Umlauf presents. The placement of it in front of McCombs presents a clear purpose, relating the work of the institution in furthering the economy to the foundation of the economy the school is advancing. At

Art was meant to be looked at and the work was delegated to the art piece to make an impression in your mind in the short time you were together. However, this assignment allowed to me realize that it is not the art’s duty to engage but the viewers want to be engaged. Staring at a piece of art, not analyzing for a short time period would not give the art or you a meaningful amount of time to make an impact. To make an impression, the art piece must be understood and that only comes with spending time with the art. Another observation I made was that no sculpture is ever complete being looked at. I have spent three hours with The Family Group yet only have I explored the author’s purpose deeply. There are so many facets of an artwork that are yet unexplored. Some questions that still ponder my mind following the complete viewing of the sculpture are: What significance does the color green for Umlauf? Why create the sculpture out of bronze? These questions fall more under the physical realm of the sculpture and will continue to be looked at after this final report is completed. One final takeaway I believed I have learned and continuing to learn is about the struggle between the viewer and the art piece. I never understood what Professor Peers described at the beginning of the year when mentioning how the artwork “pushes back” however, now I understand. The unwillingness of the art piece to