← Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words
Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words
Sabin Howard on Restoring American Art & Culture with Patriotic Sculptures | Victor Davis Hanson
00:51:05
Join host Jack Fowler as he fills in for Victor Davis Hanson and welcomes renowned sculptor Sabin Howard for an insightful discussion on art, culture, and patriotism. Howard critiques modern art's nihilism and highlights his commitment to creating art that honors American values and elevates human consciousness on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.”
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- [00:00]
A
You must know other artists. Do you know artists that do what they do out of disdain for the people who are going to be viewing art?
- [00:09]
B
Well, I'm really curious about this because I don't see this as a problem only in the art world. I see the art world as symptomatic of society. But there is something terribly wrong here. Even the ones that are very skilled at the figure, what they are talking about, what the story that they are telling is, is very disturbing to me because it's a story that's nihilistic, doesn't take into account at all that we are all bound together in our existence by something way greater than ourselves. I think a lot of artists are doing highly technical figurative art today, but it lacks a philosophy that is cohesive, that actually gives back to our society, that brings a sense of elevated consciousness. That's the words that I will always use. Why the F are we put on a planet? It's to become better, to become our best version.
- [01:12]
A
Well, hello, ladies, and hello, gentlemen. Welcome to Victor Davis Hansen in his own words without Victor Davis Hansen. But I'm Jack Fowler. I am the host. I am temporarily, for the next week or two or three, filling in for Victor as he recovers, recuperates from his major surgery, successful surgery. So we wish him well, as many people have prayed for him. And I think that's helped him get through the medical issues he had. But we are recording Today is Wednesday, January 7th. This particular episode should be up on, I think the 16th of January. And I am blessed, you are blessed for listening and watching, not to hear my prattling, but to experience yet again Saban Howard, just one of the Titanic figures I'm going to mention, modern art. Modern only is in time, Saban, not the term modern art, because I'm going to ask you about that later. But I'm thrilled to have you here. So I'll say a few things first, Sabin, then we'll take a little break. But just to remind people about Victor that he's got a website, the Blade of Perseus, and remind you that this podcast finds its happy home at the Daily Signal. Sabin is going to talk about art, important art, art that moves you, art that moves a nation, art that symbolizes a nation. And we're going to get to that. Five questions. That's what I'm going to ask him, five questions when we return from these important messages. We are back with Victor Davis Hansen in his own words. Let me give you a little bio here, Saban. Harry Howard is the Amazing talent and muscle and beauty. The man behind all that of a soldier's Journey, the sculptural heart of the national World War I memorial installed in Washington, D.C. in September of 2024. Sabin grew up in New York City like great people. Some great people grew up in New York City, Sabin, and in Torino, Italy. He studied art at the Philadelphia College of Art, and then he earned his MFA from the New York Academy of. He's the author of the book the Art of Life with his wife, author Tracy L. Slatin, who's a force of her own. The two of you together, Sabin is quite a team. Sabin is a patriot, a man who sees sacredness in clay, who works it into a reflection of humanity and its deepest passions. You will find his picture next to the word determined in the dictionary. Would that be fair?
- [04:04]
B
Absolutely. And I'm honored. Thank you.
- [04:07]
A
You're a determined man. Well, we're going to talk about locations. We're going to talk about certain projects, existent and future. First, we're going to talk about art. And folks should know that Sabin has been interviewed by Victor once before. Victor's a huge fan of Sabin, and also by Rob Bluey here at the Daily Signal, so check those out when you have the time. Sabin, I think it's fair to say question number one. It's fair to say crudely or simply that art lost its way. If a banana duct taped to a wall can be art, if a urinal can be art, or what does that say about the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? We will talk separately about your great recent achievement and about your forthcoming grand project. But for right now, Sabin, tell us, how did art lose its way? Can art be saved? Is it being saved? And what is Saban Howard doing?
- [05:07]
B
Oh, thank you very much. Well, on that note, it's. Look, I'm a modern artist because I live today. And if you ask the general public, do you pay attention to art, do you go to museums, do you look at galleries, and you're gonna get a resounding no. And the reason is because most of it's cr. Why is it crap? Art's supposed to be about humanity. It's supposed to represent who we are. Does it do that? No, it's lost. Like you said, it's lost its path. And if you look at what happened historically, classical art actually got to a place where people weren't paying attention because it got very flowery, didn't have the necessity that is so important in art, and that is to be in service of. And those words to be in service of are derivative of the concept that there is a God and there is a divine order and our world and universe moved away from that. Especially at this moment of World War I, where 22 million people are decimated. And then how can there be a God? And what happens is the values that were attached and the philosophies that were attached to the idea that there is a God went down the toilet, so to speak. And you get pieces like the urinal, like Marcel Duchamp who comes out of France. And it's a complete disdain for the concept that we are made in God's image. And what happens is art takes this almost ironic bend down the road and it pokes fun of us, it pokes fun of our existence and it no longer sees it as something of great value and a great gift. And you get a change with philosophers like Albert, Camus and Sartre that are like completely, you know, opposed. They say God is dead. And I'm saying this because we need to return not to the archaeological ways that things were before, but we need to use that form, which is how the human being is put together, and then play that forward in a way that's exciting for people and visceral for people and not boring, because that's why this whole thing went awry. And so I've been making art Since I was 19, I'm now 63, so it's like 40. What is that? 43 years. And the last project I did was called the Soldier's Journey. And it was. I had this vision. I had this vision to do something as grand as a Sistine Chapel, but make it exciting and vibrant. And what's the art form of today? The art form of today is the movie. So I made a movie in bronze that any eighth grader is going to get. And when they go there, they're going to be like, wow. And they're going to get hit in the chest and have a visceral reaction. And it's a connection to other human beings because it's carrying all these feelings about who we are and it's defining who we are and it's defining us in a philosophy of agency, of self responsibility, and also being able to manifest what we wish to do with the God given gift of life. So that's the path that I have taken and.
- [08:36]
A
Well, yeah, let me ask you, because we're going to talk a little more in depth about what you just mentioned, the great sculpture you made, the Soldier's Journey. The World War I memorial. But when you are studying art, you're 19, 20, 20, and as a. Can I call you a practicing artist that you must know other artists? Do you know artists that do what they do out of disdain for the people who are going to be.
- [09:11]
B
Well, I'm really curious about this. I'm really quiet in responding because I don't see this as a problem only in the art world. I see the art world as symptomatic of society. And I'm surrounded by other artists that do figurative art. But there is something terribly wrong here. And even the ones that are very skilled at the figure, what they are talking about, what the story that they are telling is, is very disturbing to me because it's a story that's nihilistic, and it doesn't take into account at all that we are all bound together in our existence by something way greater than ourselves. And I think one of the problems that I see also coming out of academia is that academia is not doing us a great service. They're not educating our young. They're not educating our artists to actually go out there and do something that's going to better the world. I think a lot of artists are doing highly technical figurative art today, but it lacks a philosophy that is cohesive, that actually gives back to our society, that brings a sense of elevated consciousness. And I'm gonna. That's the words that I will always use. Why the F are we put on a planet? It's to become better, to become our best version. And a lot of the art that is done is, first of all, it's attached to status and money. And that's not the answer. That is not the reason for being. And the other thing is, it's like it's in a system of galleries and museums and schools and agents that is maintaining the status quo. And so I lived in New York for most of my life, for well over 40 years. And I felt like an outsider, like I was not worth much because I didn't have a giant bank account. And then I escaped the orbit of New York, and I moved out west to Salt Lake. And I was seen more for my value as, like, a human being. And what could I give back to my community? And how could I serve my community? And how could I do something that was greater than just being an artist? And the last project that I did, the Soldier's Journey, brought me to another place. I'm not just an artist. I really believe that culture is definitive of a society. And so the issues that you see in the art world are not just confined to and relegated to art. It's what's going on in a lot of the Northeast and all these big cities and on the west coast where there's this alienation and it's like, I don't give a damn about my neighbor. It's like I'm just going to do my thing. And it's the disease of me rather than being in service of my community and interdigitating with my fellow humans. And so I'm coming at this. I don't think a lot of artists speak about this. It's not about me. It's not about my ego. It's not about Saban HOWARD it's about what can I do for my country, what can I do for my community? How can I be in service of others? And how can my purpose, my purpose, which is not mine, is given by God? It's like, how can I follow Christ and proceed forward and do something meaningful, not boring, you know, not esoteric, not cerebral, but really emotional and move other people to like, you know, be better humans themselves and see the possibility of what their life can bring? So this hearkens back to the Renaissance, but it's not like the Renaissance. It's a contemporary version of the Renaissance.
- [13:32]
A
Wow, that's heavy stuff. Not heavy, not too heavy to understand. Now even Johnny Carson had to read ads. SABAN and here I go. To our listeners and viewers. If you've studied enough history, you start to see a pattern. Nations don't lose their way overnight. They drift through debt and division until one day you realize the foundations you thought were permanent were never permanent at all. Today, America is spending at levels once reserved for wartime. We've normalized deficits that would have stunned earlier generations. And policymakers now debate we've whether the only path forward is more intervention, more printing, more distortion. But here's the historical truth. Every society that pushed its currency beyond discipline eventually paid a price. The wise never waited for the collapse. They prepared for the correction. And that's why so many thoughtful Americans, especially those nearing retirement or in retirement, are reallocating part of their wealth into something that has outlasted every paper experiment in human history. Physical gold, not as speculation, but as insulation. Reputations matter, which is why we're partnering with Allegiance Gold, a company distinguished by integrity, reliability and an A rating with the Better Business Bureau. For years, they've guided Americans through transparent education and long standing relationships built on trust. And right now, they're extending a special liberty offer for listeners of Victor Davis Hanson in His own words to help you get started with real gold, whether your funds are in a retirement account or sitting in a bank. And if you believe that the best time to reinforce your position is before the storm becomes obvious, call here we go. 8447-9091-9184-4790, 9191 or visit protectwithvictor.com going to repeat all that. 8447-9091-9184-4790-9191 or visit protectwithvictor.com history rewards those who take the long view. And we thank the good people from Allegiance Gold for sponsoring Victor Davis Hanson in his own words. Sabin, after you get done this next project, which we're going to talk about a little bit, there's going to be a company called Allegiance Bronze. I know there is. So. Because you have made bronze a precious thing in America. So we're going to talk about locations, and I have three in mind. We've mentioned them all, already, I think, but the first is Washington, D.C. and if a tourist visits the plot of land right outside the Willard Hotel, which is next to the White House and the treasury department on the 14th street, if you go there, you're going to find a plaza with a massive work of art. It's 60ft wide, I think it's 12ft high. It's a movie in bronze. I think there were 38 figures in it. And it's called the Soldier's Journey. And it's our nation's official World War I memorial. It's not something anyone would call modern in the sense of how we understand the term modern art, but it is a thing one might imagine Michelangelo creating people. Rightly compare you, Sabin, to this great master. I said rightly and it's true. So I want you to tell us about this triumph. I think it's a triumph, one that I know was probably a painful triumph because what it took to do a government project. But tell us about the project and a little more about how people react to it, because you just you built, you made it, you created it, but you go back and you see people seeing it and responding also.
- [17:24]
B
Just to fill in the gaps here. It was a competition held back in 2015. Land had been allocated for a federally mandated project by the president and Congress, written into legislation. 360 global teams entered, and I won it with a young architect. But the project quickly evolved into the monument becoming the epicenter and focus of this plaza in front of the Willard Hotel. And we went through four and a half years of a very tortuous just. It's. You have to go to agency, federal agency meetings. And I came into contact with the Commission of Fine Arts, which was all. None too happy to have me in a room, because what I was a proponent of was actually making a sculpture that honored not only our veterans from 100 years ago, but also the veterans that come there today. And not once in these agency meetings was the word veteran uttered. It was always about what those commissioners held in their power, what they wished to see in that park. So they weren't doing their job, which is often the case with government, where when someone is given power, they do not do the right job, but they take power for their ego. And so we did break through that, and that was a huge gate to break because we weren't supposed to happen. So it's truly a miracle that happened. And most of my life, I have stepped into these places where I have an idea and I have a vision, but I don't know what's going on around me. When I began to make ART at age 19, I was like, okay, I'm going to make art like Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo. I had no idea that there was Jackson Pollock and de Kooning and this whole thing called modern art. I just like, I'm going to make this amazing Renaissance art. And the same thing was here. When I entered into this contest in D.C. it was like, okay, I'm going to make something like the Sistine Chapel, except it's going to be contemporary. And that's what it is. It's a bronze wall that tells a story. It is the hero's story. It's a hero's journey as Joseph Campbell identified. And the concept is a soldier, a father. And an allegory for the United States begins in the first scene on the left. And he receives a helmet from his daughter, and his wife stands behind him on his shoulders. And they face in the opposite direction. They face to the left. They do not face forward. In the next scene now there's this tug of war between the mother, who is representative of America. We were reluctant to enter into World War I. And he is being torn apart between service to country and service to his family and his wife. He's pulled forward. And then you have a battle scene that's very kinetic and fierce and animalistic discharge with six men. And he leads that charge. This father soldier leads that charge, open chested, in complete courage, forward. The next scene is a fallen crucifix on the back of the wall. And it's the Cost of War, where a nurse, a soldier, holds this gassed man who screams in agony. It's a tortured soul, kind of like Munch, the scream. And on the right of that figure is the main protagonist, the father. Now, he has exited that horrible conflict of war and battle and he is shell shocked. And that is also an allegory for what happened to society that alienated. He's the only figure that is alone, completely alone, coming directly out at you, tortured. His face is tormented. On the other side of him is a heroic nurse. So these two angelic female figures, equally as powerful as the men, but they are women and he is a man. And as we will now, we're going to continue going forward. There is the flag scene. A flag is being held. It's the highest point on that monument. There is pride in one's country and underneath it are the three amigos. And one of the soldiers in the middle is wounded and being carried and moving forward. Now, from this point forward, the models that I use were veterans. So their faces show what happened to these men in Iraq and Afghanistan. And those faces carry the wounds of shell shocked contemporary ptsd. And now you return to the final scene, which is a dad comes home to his daughter. There is no mother there. She is a Salvation army nurse just before them. And he hands his daughter his helmet. The helmet is now open. Pandora's box has been opened and her neck is bent down into looking into the helmet. And she carries the weight of the next generation, which is World War II. First and last figure are my daughter. That first and last figure changed in those four and a half years. And why did I put my daughter there? Because I made this art for the future of where we should go. And she is the next generation. My daughter's the next generation. That sculpture is the next generation. That final figure. That's what we need to think about, like, how are we leaving the planet? How are we leaving our mark to make this place better? And that was the philosophy behind that.
- [23:17]
A
Well, it's just, folks, many people go to Washington and do make a point of going there. 14th next to the Willard, you will take a lot of time because you're going to want to stay and look at it and just dwell on it. It's so beautiful. Sabin, we've got three more questions to ask you. And I'm going to ask you when we come back from this break about Rome. We'll do that right after these important messages.
- [23:47]
B
Thank you.
- [23:51]
A
We are back with Victor Davis Hansen. In his own words, I'M Jack Fowler. I'm the host. We are recording on Wednesday, January 7th. This episode will be up on the 16th of January, and this is one of several episodes we're doing while Victor Davis Hansen, our friend, our hero, is recuperating from major and successful surgery. So, Sabin, you recently returned from Rome and you've spent much of your life in Italy. Let's talk about that location or wherever you want to talk about in Italy. What did this recent trip to Italy do for your I'm going to call it, your inspirational muscle. And what, in general, does Italy mean to you? SABAN howard, Sculptor Very emotional trip.
- [24:41]
B
I was there for two weeks dropping my daughter off. My daughter's moved back to Italy. I'm an American and an Italian citizen, so my daughter by blood becomes an Italian citizen, so she's going back to Rome. I had very deep experience there the first of the year. We were there for two weeks. But in the first of the year, at 11 o' clock in the morning, I went to mass at Il Gesu. This is the first Jesuit church of Italy. It's an incredible church with a ceiling painting that goes up into infinity and all points lead to light, which is at the center of that. And then there are all these sculptures that are kinetic and dynamic, lacing the ceiling and then columns and coming down with more figures, lacing every single element with kinetic, spiraling, dynamic, baroque, opera like figures. And I went to mass. The mass was in Italian, which to me I understand in some ways better, because my mindset in many ways is that's my first language. And so I was very intrigued by what was seeing, and it was very empowering sermon on the first of the year that spoke about the possibilities of Christ and how none of us should be prisoners. It's all about freedom, faith, and the more faith you have, the more you will be led upon the path that God has created for you. And that may not be the easiest path to take, which rang a bell for me because of what I've done in my life. This has been a hell of a journey that I've been on. It's been very trying, but it's almost like as a sword, it gets forged, it becomes sharper and harder and grows through that process. And it was a sermon of heroism, that we are all heroic and not about victimization, which so often I've gone to church in this country and it becomes very PC and politicized where church has stepped into politics. And it's not about the people sitting there in the pews the sermon was here, directed directly at us. And I left that church at that moment, realizing how important it was to be in service of. And I realized that I had to go back to the States because you can't do this in Europe. Europe has been shut down in a way that is you can't make a business, you can't expand. Everybody's gotten in line, and there's this sense of greatness and unhappiness. And I really know, because I speak Italian, I interact with people, but nobody's going for it. Like, this country is amazing. You can go for it. I mean, I couldn't draw when I was 19. And then I'm making these giant monuments and I have a vision and I can play it out.
- [27:49]
A
And it's.
- [27:50]
B
That's. I don't think a lot of people, especially in the big cities, realize how lucky we are. Because if you just do the right thing and you stick to your guns and you proceed, really, you could do almost anything that you dream of. I mean, you're not going to become Michael Jordan for sure, or Babe Ruth or something, but within your talent and what you dream of, it's impressive what you can pull off in this country. And I returned here with this. I have never. I'm 62 years old. I have never gotten off a plane and gone to the baggage carousel at JFK and looked at the American flag like I did last week. I was like, damn, I'm proud of that flag because I got to do what I want to do, and I'm not done. And that was, I can't do what I want to do in Italy, even how beautiful and how wonderful the food is and how much heart connection I have with people there. But I can do what I want to do here. And that flag represents that. So it's always me looking and experiencing things and then growing into the next potential of what I can be. And that's what my art stands for.
- [29:12]
A
Yeah, well, we're going to pick up on that in the final question, but right now. Vic Sabin, by the way, that was beautiful. Speaking of paths, your path has led you to Utah, which you mentioned Salt Lake City. When we first met, you were here in Connecticut, where I live and makes sense. You live in the New York City metropolitan area. There's an art world, you know, folks outside, external. But something about it just wasn't right. I assume for you, and you headed west, you settled in Salt Lake City. Not exactly the place that people associate with art, but I have a feeling that they're going to in a few years. You have an amazing project that you've embarked upon, and you're calling it the Grand Arch. You intend to create and see dedicated before the 2032 Winter Olympics, which are taking place in. In Salt Lake City. I would like you to describe this project. Tell us, why are you compelled to undertake it? Especially something of the grandeur of this. The massiveness of it. You might think this is something that should be on the National Mall, but this is a private thing, a private act of patriotic grandeur. So would you tell us what it is about Salt Lake City that convinced you to go there and that this looming masterpiece should call it home and tell us about the looming masterpiece.
- [30:44]
B
I mean, I am no Mundumi fan. I am not a collectivist. I believe in rugged individuality. So on March 14, my wife and I packed our house up in Connecticut. I'd already left New York City, and we drove across the country. And I witnessed the 2,200 miles and how vast and expansive our country is. And I saw all these different neighborhoods and different people. And we landed in Salt Lake, and I arrived in Salt Lake knowing one person, just one. And now we are nine months later. The governor has said that I have prayed for a project like this, and we will move mountains to make it happen. This project is called the Grand Liberty Arch Project. And first and foremost, it was a concept that I created to celebrate our 250th birthday. We don't get to do that over again. And next July 4th is something that needs to be revered. And I thought to myself, okay, well, how can I participate? How can I give back to my country? How can I show my pride in country? And I wanted to make. As a sculptor, you make things that outlast us because they're made in bronze. So we basically have beaten mortality when you make something in bronze. And I came up with the concept of an arch. The symbolism of an arch is you're a smart audience. You know, you pass through an arch, it's a new paradigm. It's a shift. So this is a. Not a reinvention, but it's a redefining moment of who we are as a people. And I had enough of the woke BS back East, and I was like, okay, we're gonna do something about pride. Pride in country. I am not one to sit there when things go wrong and go, oh, woe is me. I'm gonna go. How do I proceed? Whatever happens to me is because I put myself there, and I'm not gonna blame Others and this project, and it's about the freedom that we all hold. And that freedom is seen in the sculptures and the stories that are there. Those stories are a philosophy of agency, self responsibility and manifesting a vision. And this is a statement, an American statement, done in the form of the Sistine Chapel. And how do I say that? Because you go to the Sistine Chapel and people are gawking at humanity and the actual physical act of creating something of such grace and power and complexity and epic enormity. So I'm making a sculpture with an arch in the middle, and around it are six panel, six relief panels that explain our history. It is not the history, because that is something for historians to do. This is a philosophy of the history. So the inception of the country is one side. And as you pass through the arch, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are on those walls. And as you exit the other side, there is Western expansion in the 20th century. The north and the south sides are the transition that happened in the 1860s that took us from our concept of freedom that our forefathers pronounced and created to what Lincoln and those times brought forth, which you're dealing with emancipation, the struggle and fight between Native Americans and settlers. And then on the other side, there is this fight for the flag, which is Confederate in Union fighting for that flag. And behind them, those two are now on the ground. One of them has died. The Confederate has died. Those two are brothers. The Confederate side died, and the Union soldier holds him. On the top of the arch, there are two scenes. The front side is the Spirit of Liberty, where a man is being pulled forward by a Lady Liberty. She holds a torch, and he looks at that torch, and that torch brings him to a place of moving forward. On the other side is expansion west on top of the arch, which is about rolling this giant wheel forward. And the other side is about the building, the building of our country. These figures are mammoth. They're 12ft high. And so the very top is 38ft off the ground, and the width is 60ft. These are all sacred geometry measurements. And it sits within a plaza. The plaza has on the ground like a wheel, and the hub, the very center of that wheel on the ground. The decoration sits in the middle of the arch and expands outward. So this is the epicenter of liberty and freedom. And that's where this giant epic monument will stand. It's called Grand Liberty Arch Monument Glam. That's the acronym for it. And what I wanted to do was we will unveil this in seven years. Just before the 34 Winter Olympics here in Salt Lake. And right now we're looking like it hasn't happened yet. I still have to go through one gate here at the northern plaza behind the Capitol building. And I'm going to unveil on next July 4th the actual model, which is 6ft, it's a 10th scale to the country and we'll probably do that in Utah. And I went out west because I wanted to do something that was expansive. And you go out west and the space is so much, it's unlimited. It's like I can see for literally hundreds of hundred miles. I can see for 100 miles for my house. And I've met a community of kindness, a community that is not like what I left in New York. And the models that I found to make this project are all like incredible species and they're it to the project. It's like a giving back of we're doing something together. It's this together, this together thing. And a large part of it I see is as the Mormons brought and started this community. It's like those initial concepts have lasted and this is becoming like a rising metropolis in terms of how many people are arriving. And it is incredibly entrepreneurial as a location. And I am basically an entrepreneur. I am very averse to government taking care of me. I'll figure it out. And that's why I moved and that's why I'm making it here.
- [38:07]
A
Well, I have all kinds of anti mandami thoughts racing through my head, Saban, but yeah, well, I have one last quick question for you and I'll. I'll ask you that after these final important messages. Folks, we are back. Victor Davis Hansen, in his own words. I am Jack Fowler. I am honored to have my friend Sabin Howard, one of the great artists of America of the world. We were just discussing his project, the Grand Liberty Arch. By the way, Saban's website is sabanhoward.com and you should check it out. You will find links to all kinds of things, including the document. Yeah, the documentary is that linked on.
- [38:56]
B
There but it's coming soon. My wife, tracy slatin. It's heroicdocumentary.com.
- [39:05]
A
Yeah, it's a fantastic thing. I've seen a preview of it folks, so do check that out. Sabin, you've answered my last question. Was going to be about hey, are you patriotic? But I think that's come through already. I am curious though. I think it would help us as we close out here to get some perspective of you as an artist, the actual work that you do, I mean, you got Popeye arms and they come about for some reason. Let's just take one of these 12 foot sculptures. How long does it take? And can you explain the process and the might and the muscle and the sweat that goes into making just one of these sculptures? Never mind how many are going to be in this?
- [39:53]
B
56 figures. 56 over life size figures. The ones on the relief will be 8 foot scale. So you're going larger than World War I and the ones above are 12 foot scale.
- [40:05]
A
What's it take for you to.
- [40:09]
B
I get nervous thinking about it because I bit off more than I can chew. But that sometimes is the best way because if you do what you are capable of and do the formulaic, you don't dig deep and you don't pull out all your tools of creativity. So I always try to raise the bar. And the best work I've always done is can you pull this off? And that's why The World War I memorial is you have to figure out how to do things on the fly. I don't think a lot of people know this, but practicing artists, ones that are truly professional, live in this world of never knowing what is coming next. And it makes a lot of people queasy, uncomfortable. As an artist, you have to really live with not knowing. And so that's why I move towards faith. Because if you try to do this on your own, you will have a nervous breakdown or a heart attack, literally. Faith is what drives me forward. That I am on the path to doing something that is already predestined and I just have to do the work. And the work is not, you know, not only is it like making something, but it's having a story to tell that people will be interested in. And that story must be unique to my experience and not generic then, because then it's like I'm sharing that with others. But I have to do it in a way that others will be intrigued and interested and understand it. And that's nothing to do with modern art, where it's cryptic and it's supposed to be a puzzle. And if you don't get because you're not smart enough, I am very averse to that. I want to make something that everyone gets. And so this is a unifying type of art form that elevates the spirit, the human spirit. And these figures are built by looking at live models. We did something that is very technologically cutting edge. I used this thing called photogrammetry where we put a Person, a model posing in the position that the sculpture will be in, surrounded by 160 cameras that all go off at once. And it's actually a three dimensional photograph. And then I can print that out and I can manipulate that and create my compositions. So I'm actually doing something that speeds up my process. It's my grunt work. And from there, then I can print something out and create a model. And from that same information, I can enlarge to these giant foam figures that are milled on a CNC system and then mounted onto platforms that we then can sculpt from live models. Putting clay on and moving and hacking away at this foam so that it elevates to an art form which comes from all the systems that were in the Renaissance, such as proportions. And like DNA helixes, there's spirals that move through the figure. These are all systems that come from looking at nature, and nature is God. And so that's I am in service. I'm a servant of looking at that. And so I get to understand a little bit more about the complexity and beauty of our universe when I make art. And it gives me a deeper appreciation of who we actually are and how complex we are and what a miracle and a gift it is to be alive. And so these figures are done in that vein. There's nothing ironic and alienated about it. It's much more about this amazing quality of this thing that was thrown out at World War I, which is divine order. And we are constructed in this amazing way. So the anatomy that I learned is my grammar to make these figures.
- [44:25]
A
This will be, I believe you have told me that likely the largest work of art sculpture in the West. I don't mean the Wild West, I mean the Western world in the last 250 years.
- [44:40]
B
There's a few pieces in Norway that are very large with many, many figures, but our country is. Is rather poor when it comes to monuments, unfortunately. And so I'm really. This will be my last, really big, big monument. I will not have the power, physical power, to pull another one of these off. I'll be 72 when I finish this one. They're looking at seven years of a very focused path of brings me great joy, but it is a road that is not for many to be on.
- [45:20]
A
Yeah, well, long after we're dead and buried in 100 years, 200 years from now, our great, great, great, great grandchildren will be in awe of what you've done in Washington. And I know what's going to be taking place and materializing in Salt Lake City in a few years. So folks, Again, check out sabanhoward.com to find out more about this Just truly profound and beautiful artist. Great man too. Great dude, great patriot. You are. Just man, you're the best. I thank you for coming on Sabin. And folks, thanks for watching and listening. Check out civilthoughts.com go there. Sign up for Civil Thoughts, the free weekly email newsletter I do for the center for Civil Society. And that's about it. We'll be back soon with another episode of Victor Davis Hansen in his Own Words. Bye bye.
- [46:17]
B
Thank you.
- [46:18]
A
Thank you for tuning in to the Daily Signal. Please like share and subscribe to be notified for more content like this. You can also check out my own website@victorhansen.com and subscribe for exclusive features. In addition.