Ruth Grabner also known as "Silhouette Lady" has been cutting silhouettes of people and pets for 30 years. When she was an art teacher at The Beard School of the Oranges (now Morristown Beard School) she was asked by the Headmistress to cut silhouettes at the annual school fair. She was astonished to see the mothers line up across the gymnasium to have their childrens' silhouettes done. Thus, ever since, she has been attending school and church fairs to cut likenesses of children, pets and occasional adults.
An art graduate of Pratt Institute, New York City, with a Masters of Fine Arts Degree from Montclair State College, Ms. Grabner has years of expeience teaching art from first grade through the college level. She also does portrait painting, paints in oils and watercolors, does pastels, charcoals and calligraphy.
Cutting silhouettes is her hobby. She cuts busts of various sizes, full figures and animals. First she makes a sketch to make certain the dimensions are correct and then cuts out the image of special black paper which is glued on a white background. It is a very powerful image and many times you can feel the character of the person reflected. Besides the traditional images, occupational and hobby silhouettes are popular choices.
Historically, before the advent of the camera, all the Presidents had their silhouettes cut. This medium was at its most popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The name is derived from Etienne de Silhouette, a mid-18th century French Finance Minister, whose hobby was cut-out profiles. The silhouette was also quite popular in Colonial America.
The collecting of silhouettes became widespread, the collection of Goethe being an outstanding example. Older silhouettes that are dated bring high prices at antique sales. The underlying principles of silhouette art were to persist in the 20th century animated cartoons of Walt Disney and Lotte Reiniger.
One of the advantages of making silhouettes is its simplicity. The average time it takes to cut one is only a matter of minutes. It is also something you cannot buy in a store. "They do silhouettes in Disney World, " Ms. Grabner says, "but I seem to be the only one in New Jersey doing it." |
