Focus on this artwork and explore the Operation Dynamics.
A great deal of organization and logistics were conducted to ensure that Powers’ The Greek Slave was viewed by spectators from across the country. In Powers’ mind there was no other man more fit for this task than fellow artist, Miner Kellogg (1814-1889). Kellogg had traveled to Turkey and Greece to study the history and culture of the region in preparation for the tour (Pohrt 2016, 190). Kellogg was a knowledgeable and trustworthy showman who managed everything from securing venues to purchasing fabrics and having a platform built to display the sculpture (Pohrt 2016, 191). He was a skilled businessman whose management skill and resourcefulness help attract the masses. Powers, who remained in Italy while his sculpture toured the US, compensated Kellogg for the exhibition by giving him 20% of the work’s net profits with the understanding that if travel expenses rose above $10,000, he was responsible for the difference. Kellogg’s early press material justified Powers’ absence by describing him as a dedicated artist who was “toiling” in Italy (Pohrt 2016, 192).Furthermore, Kellogg promoted or advertised the work through a variety of media. For example, he reprinted an essay by the Reverend Orville Dewey that emphasized the work’s formal and iconographic qualities in a more pure and unadulterated light. Dewey wrote, “clothed all over with sentiment, sheltered, protected by it from every profane eye” (Quoted in Pohrt 2016, 193). Dewey’s writings significantly contributed to the exhibition’s descriptive brochure. Kellogg created a brochure with the help of George Calvert (1580-1632) and Henry Tuckerman (1813-1871) to help viewers understand the sculpture. The brochure featured a narrative of a Greek woman who was taken captive by the Turks, forcefully exposed and then sold as a slave in Constantinople (Pohrt 2016, 193). This narrative was designed to evoke sentiment in its viewers, which was a popular theme for American art at the time and something viewers would easily resonate with. Power described it stating, are not satisfied with designating its material perfection, but eloquently claim for its high moral and intellectual beauty” (Wunder, 1991). Ultimately, the sculpture was a success because viewers could comfortably view the work and appreciate the artist’s skill as well as the sculpture’s unique narrative.
Turkey George Calvert Greek Miner Kellogg Henry Tuckerman