Archomage (1980-82)

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Archomage is a large corten steel and stone work by Ernest Shaw. Shaw is a renowned sculptor, painter and photographer who grew up in the mid 1900’s when the art style of formalism was incredibly popular. Formalism refers to a style of art that places a heavy emphasis on materials. This means that there is no attempt to disguise the material used in an artwork as something else, as was the practice with realistic marble sculptures of the past. Instead, the artist seeks to highlight the qualities of the material that inherently add meaning to the work. This potential influence can be seen in Archomage which effectively draws the viewer's attention to the metal frame and stone slabs featured in the sculpture.

Shaw was also trained as a psychologist before pursuing art full time in 1976. Still, he maintains that psychological concepts and ideas pertaining to the mind are common themes in his artwork. He also has described that he enjoys working with themes of mortality, balance and imbalance, transformation, and “the power of presence” among other things. It is possible that he intended to embed these ideas as well as his psychological background in Archomage. Nevertheless, due to its abstract nature, the sculpture is left to the complete interpretation of visitors and residents of the Allentown community.

A dedication was held for the sculpture in 1982 upon its completion. It was one of six public artworks that Philip and Muriel Berman had funded around the same time, and this generated a relatively large reaction from the public, both positive and negative. The Bermans, with their love of contemporary abstract art, did not shy away from promoting the avant-garde, but many Allentown residents did not share this sentiment. A common review of the piece was that it “looked like junk” and the sculpture’s presence even sparked a bit of debate, as described in the Morning Call, about if the wealthy few should be in charge of decisions about public art that is intended for the many. Ultimately, however, the piece succeeded in sparking community discussion which, for Philip Berman, was a primary goal.