We turned to get the effect of the western wall looking out on this
magnificence. "Faville has done some of his finest work there. All over
the Exposition he has expressed himself; but as his name is not
connected with one of the great courts we don't hear it very much. When
he tackled the Western Wall he had one of the hardest of his problems.
There was a big expanse to be made interesting and impressive, without
the aid of towers or courts. It was a brilliant idea to break the
monotony with those two splendid Roman half-domes."
The figure of "Thought" on the columns in front of the Dome of Plenty
and repeated on the Dome of Philosophy started the architect talking on
the subject of character and art. "Only a sculptor with a very fine
nature could have done that fellow up there. In that design Stackpole
shows the qualities that he shows in the kneeling girl at the altar in
the rotunda across the lagoon and in his figure of the common laborer
and the little group of artisans and artists that we shall see on the
doorway of the Varied Industries. They include fineness and cleanness of
feeling, reverence and tenderness. This particular figure is one of
three figures on the grounds that stand for virtually the same subject,
Rodin's "Thinker," in the courtyard of the French Building, and Chester
Beach's "Thinker," in the niches to the west and east of the tower in
the Court of the Ages. They are all different in character. Stackpole's
gives the feeling of gentle contemplation. That man might be a poet or a
philosopher or an inventor; but a man of the kind of thought that leads
to action or great achievement in the world - never. You can't think of
him as competing with his whole heart and soul in order to get ahead of
other men. However, it would be an achievement just to be that type and
it's a good type to be held up to us for our admiration, better than the
conventional ideal of success embodied in the Adventurous Bowman, for
example."
The proportions of the domes we could see at a glance had been well
worked out. Earl Cummings' figure of the Youth had a really youthful
quality; but there was some question in our minds as to the wisdom of
repeating the figure in a semi-circle. "After all," the architect
remarked, "in this country art owes some concession to habit of mind. We
are not trained to frankness in regard to nudity. On the contrary, all
our conventions are against it. But our artists, through their special
professional training, learn to despise many of our conventions and they
like to ignore them or frankly show their contempt for them."
That elaborate Sienna fountain was well adapted to the Dome of Plenty,
though it was by no means a fine example of Italian work, with its
design built up tier on tier. "It's the natural expression of a single
idea that leads to beauty, isn't it? The instant there's a betrayal of
effort, the charm begins to fade."
There was no criticism to be made, however, of the Italian fountain in
the Dome of Philosophy, the simplest of all the fountains, and one of
the most beautiful, the water flowing over the circular bowl from all
sides. "It makes water the chief feature," said the architect
approvingly, "which is the best any fountain can do. Is there anything
in art that can compare for beauty with running water? This fountain
comes from Italy and these female figures, above the doorway, with books
in their arms, are by one of the most interesting of the sculptors
represented here, Albert Weinert. We'll see more work of his when we get
to the Court of Abundance."
At sight of the curious groups in the niches I expressed a certain
disappointment. It seemed to me that, in the midst of so much real
beauty, they were out of key. But the architect had another point of
view. "They are worth while because they're different," he said. "They
ought not to be considered merely as ornaments. They have an
archaeological interest. They are related to those interesting studies
that Albert Durer used to make, and they are full of symbolism. When
Charles Harley made them he knew just what he was doing. The male figure
in 'The Triumph of the Fields' takes us back to the time when harvesting
was associated with pagan rites. The Celtic cross and the standard with
the bull on top used to be carried through the field in harvest time.
The bull celebrates the animal that has aided man in gathering the
crops. The wain represents the old harvest wagon. That head down there
typifies the seed of the earth, symbol of the life that comes up in the
barley that is indicated there, bringing food to mankind. The woman's
figure, unfortunately, is too small for the niche, 'Abundance.' The horn
of plenty on either side indicates her character. She's reaching out her
hands to suggest her prodigality. The head of the eagle on the prow of
the ship where she is sitting, gives the idea an American application,
suggesting our natural prosperity and our reason for keeping ahead in
the march of progress. In one sense, those figures represent a
reactionary kind of sculpture. Nowadays the sculptors, like the
painters, are trying to get away from literal interpretations. They
don't want to appeal to the mind so much as to the emotions."
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