"Were You Invited?" – Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton Township, Trenton, New Jersey

Seward Johnson is seen at his most ambitious in his tableau entitled "Were You Invited?" This is a take on Renoir’s lively 14-figure scene depicting "The Luncheon of the Boating Party." The sculptures are explicit in their texture and form. And, as with the other works in this series, the sculptor adds exploration of relationships within the boisterous crowd. Johnson hints at certain underlying imbroglios by showing a hand on a knee here, a touch beneath the table there.

"At a party full of artists, there has to be something going on," says Johnson. Amid the bottles of champagne, wine and aperitifs are set bowls overflowing with fruit, and platters of French cheeses and foie gras. The characters are equally rich in sensuality and color, with embraces and secrets intermingling with the feast. Beyond the figures Renoir invited to the day’s events, Johnson has created an entire additional table of interlopers. These "crashers" are out of Renoir’s view but in the sculpture you discover them in full party spirit "drinking up all of Renoir’s wine," as Johnson notes.

A sly segue is made by the sculptor using Renoir’s top hatted man who is turned away from the viewer. On close inspection it is New York City gallery director Phillip Bruno, who is turned facing a quartet of contemporary artists and brandishing a cane as if to drive them away. This group includes artist Seward Johnson and his friends and fellow sculptors Red Grooms, Bill Barrett and Andrew Pitynski. Surrounded by a table full of empty bottles, the foursome looks to be settled in for the duration with affectionate recognition toward the warning cane. The mood is one of exuberant celebration – perfectly in character with the personalities of the artists depicted.