John Reynolds
(1916–)
(–1999)
Bust of Dr. Norman Bethune
Artist(s)
Date
1974
Object Type
sculpture
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
61.00 x 58.60 x 42.50 cm
Donor(s)
INCO (CP AIR)
Collections
Collection of York University
Accession
A1974.003
Dr. Norman Bethune was a Canadian thoracic surgeon, member of the communist party, and an early advocate for universal healthcare. Dr. Bethune came to public notoriety when he served as a trauma surgeon for the Republican government during the Spanish Civil War and the Communist Party of China during the Second Sino-Japanese war. Dr. Bethune is still fondly remembered in China for bringing modern medicine to rural areas of the country, hence, this bust was gifted to York University’s Norman Bethune College by Chinese ambassador Chang Wen-Chin in 1975.
McCombe Reynolds calls upon the classical tradition of using bronze to create a bust of a much-revered figure within society. The texture in the sculpture’s sweater highlights the technical aspect of casting in bronze in which the artist shapes the bust in a malleable material such as clay to create the casting mold.