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Galveston artist Doug McLean's sculpture "Hope" is slated to be unveiled in Galveston's new city park in mid-December.
The haunting image originally comes from of a plaster study called “Victims of Galveston Flood” created in 1904 by Pompeo Coppini, an Italian born sculptor.
lessPhoto: Doug McLeanGalveston artist Doug McLean's sculpture "Hope" is slated to be unveiled in Galveston's new city park in mid-December.
The haunting image originally comes from of a plaster study called “Victims of Galveston
... more
Galveston artist Doug McLean's sculpture "Hope" is slated to be unveiled in Galveston's new city park in mid-December.
The haunting image originally comes from of a plaster study called “Victims of Galveston Flood” created in 1904 by Pompeo Coppini, an Italian born sculptor.
lessGalveston artist Doug McLean's sculpture "Hope" is slated to be unveiled in Galveston's new city park in mid-December.
The haunting image originally comes from of a plaster study called “Victims of Galveston
... moreWhen you first gaze at Galveston artist Doug McLean's sculpture entitled "Hope," there's a chiseled, visceral strength that you see in the mother's haunting face as she holds her baby to her chest while her other child clings to her waist.
In this delicately nuanced sculpture, the mother's raw determination to save her children is palpably shown, as she marches forward through the debris of bricks and timber left from the Great Galveston Storm of 1900.
It's this indelible image of one woman's resilience that has captivated McLean to create "Hope," slated to be unveiled in Galveston's new city park in mid December. The haunting image originally comes from of a plaster study called “Victims of Galveston Flood”, created in 1904 by Pompeo Coppini, an Italian-born sculptor.
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"The strength of the woman carrying her children really had a profound impact on me," McLean said. "I've lived on the island for 40 years, and I've known two of the female mayors. Lyda Ann Thomas was incredibly powerful. After the storm, the women were very influential in establishing the type of the government we would have and re-establishing the school system. They also had a great deal to do with philanthropy on the island. The island has been enormously impacted by strong females."
When McLean first spotted a photograph of Coppini's plaster study about four years ago, he knew he had to bring it back to life.
"When I saw this, I felt like I had to do it," McLean said. "It's a strange thing, because the more I put into it, the more obsessed I was with it. As soon as I saw the photo, I was really drawn to the face of the woman and the anguish of her face."
After McLean felt he had captured the emotion on her face, he was drawn to complete the entire sculpture.
"That drew me to begin this project of really working on a bust of her — to try and capture her emotion," McLean said. "I worked on that 100 hours or so. I just worked on her face until I felt I had the emotion. Once I got that done, I kept looking at the remaining images. It was a personal goal and challenge to bring this back to life again. So I set out to work on it."
Since 2016, this project has been McLean's labor of love. McLean began working on his version molded in plasticine, a clay-based material.
He expects to spend another 100 hours to perfect "Hope." When the sculpture is finished, it will be cast in bronze, with the help of donations, McLean says.
"I've worked on it for about 1,600 hours," McLean said. "When I am working on it, sometimes I'm overpowered by the message of it. This has everything to do with her, the mother taking the next step forward and saving her children in which way she can."
There's a riveting mystery behind the fate of Coppini's plaster study that has also fascinated McLean. Even though Coppini was commissioned by the city in 1904 to create an artwork commemorating the Great Hurricane of 1900, the city leaders rejected the piece. Then in 1906, the statue was actually sent to the St. Louis World's Fair where it was supposed to be featured as the main piece in the sculpture pavilion. After that, it was sent back to Texas and put into storage at the University of Texas. The statue then mysteriously disappeared after that.
"It has never been found since," McLean said. "There were several warehouses that had fires and had burned. There were also other warehouses that had major flood damage. It could have been destroyed in any of those events."
This year marks 120 years since the 1900 Storm devastated Galveston, so it's only fitting that this tribute to the resilient spirit of Galveston called "Hope" will stand strong in the new Galveston park. The mystery of the Coppini sculpture comes full circle, bringing new life to the island.
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September 19, 2020 at 06:15AM
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Galveston artist recreates lost sculpture from the Great Hurricane of 1900 - Chron.com
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