William Hodd McElcheran
(1927–)
(–1999)
William Hodd McElcheran
1927–1999
William Hodd McElcheran (1927–1999) is a Canadian sculptor, painter, and designer. Seemingly born with his artistic gift, McElcheran began creating realistic portraits by the age of ten, and by sixteen he was given advanced standing in his second year at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto for his talent and already substantial number of works. Although he painted as well as designed an array of architecture, McElcheran was mostly known for his series of bronze Businessmen sculptures.
During his extensive career, McElcheran created numerous works on multiple continents and in a variety of media such as wood, stone, clay, and castings in fiberglass and bronze.
Most notable about McElcheran’s style is the sense of movement he creates. Although his sculptures and paintings focus on figures with little to no background, viewers can comprehend that his works are a small part of a larger and ongoing scene.
From early on in his career, McElcheran desired for his works to be critiqued based on content rather than form, and it is through the content of his Businessmen series that McElcheran has become best known for creating the anti-hero and the everyman. The sense of movement in his Businessmen running with their briefcases, in deep discussion, or just walking alone or through a crowd - all dressed nearly identical - creates a sense of relatability in their mundane daily tasks.
Cast in bronze, McElcheran’s sculptures of men and women with rounded bellies take the historically monumental and idealized sculptural medium and subverts it to celebrate and everyday people and modern society.
