"In this fair world of dreams and vagary,
Where all is weak and clothed in failing forms,
Where skies and trees and beauties speak of change,
And always wear a garb that's like our minds,
We hear a cry from those who are about
And from within we hear a quiet voice
That drives us on to do, and do, and do."
The persistent necessity for creation is strikingly proved by the
prolific output of the Arts. Year after year, as we whirl through space
on our mysterious destiny, undeterred by apparent futility, the primal
instinct for the visualization of dreams steadily persists. Good or bad,
useful or useless, it must be satisfied. It amounts to a law, like the
attraction of the sexes. Discouraged in some directions, it will out in
others, never permanently satisfied. Each age and people must have its
own art as well as what remains of the arts of past ages and peoples -
in spite of scant patronage, commercial limitation, and critics'
hostility. The philosopher tells us that everything has been done, yet
we must do it again - personally.
Art is so much a part of life that to discourage it is to discourage
life itself - as if one would say: "Others have lived; all imaginable
kinds of life have been lived. Therefore it is unnecessary for you to
experience life."
The plastic and pictorial decoration of an Exposition offer unusual
opportunity to the Artist, at the same time imposing handicaps - the
briefness of time, the poverty of material. It affords chances for
experiment, invention, and originality only limited by the necessary
formal settings of the architecture, out of proportion to the initiative
of the artists, a majority of whom prefer, either from inclination or
necessity, to take the safe course, the beaten path of precedent.
Artists are of two kinds - the Imitators and the Innovators. The public
also is of two corresponding kinds - those who accept only what they
have learned to regard as good, preferring imitations of it to anything
requiring the acquisition of a new viewpoint; and that other kind,
receptive to new sensations. The first class is the more numerous, which
explains why most of our art, in fact most of all art, is imitative -
that is, imitative of the works of other artists.
The sculpture and mural decorations of the buildings and grounds of the
Exposition adequately represent the output of American art today. It is
the best possible collection under existent conditions.
Its many sources of inspiration - all European, like the sources of our
racial origin - are clothed in outward resemblances of the styles and
tinged with the thought of the masters, old and new, who constitute
Precedent. Thus, in sculpture we have imitations, conscious or
unconscious, of the Greek, of Michael Angelo, Donatello, Rodin, Barye,
Meunier, Saint Gaudens; in painting, of Besnard, Merson, Monet, et
cetera, as well as some more complex personal notes, more difficult to
relate, although they too are related in the main, adding only another
variation of character to the great mass of human ideality. As in
nature, there is nothing absolutely pure - nothing that can exist
totally unrelated to the whole - so it is in art. Its works should be
judged, not by their absolute adherence to any so-called standard, but
finally by the appeal they make to the receptive and unprejudiced mind.
Be brave, Mr. Critic - Madame Public, think for yourself, at the risk of
ridicule. Be not ashamed to admire what appeals, before learning its
author, and when it no longer appeals leave it without remorse.
In this introduction to the sculpture of the Exposition, it is unusually
fitting that grateful recognition be accorded the memory of the sculptor
whose lively faith in our growth, and tireless energy first launched the
enterprise. Karl Bitter possessed more than any other American sculptor
that breadth of vision that enabled him to discern talent - that
generosity that enabled him to give praise where he believed it due -
that suppleness of mind that could comprehend new concepts - and that
sense of justice that avoided no obligation. Such an unusual combination
of faculties defined a man broader and more profound than his broad
achievement - one of the rare personalities in our Art, the most this
exponent that sculpture has known in this land. In the initial stages of
planning, his fiery initiative and amazing grasp of detail commanded
attention, speedily resulting in the first general plan of the sculpture
of the buildings and grounds; while later his tenacity and generosity
assured the completed unity, as it now stands. Forty-four sculptors
contributed designs, the subjects of which were assigned to the number
of seventy-eight items, some of which comprise compositions involving a
score of figures. The number of replicas used as repeated architectural
motifs in order to create an effect of richness necessitated by the
styles of architecture, is very numerous.
Vitality and exuberance, guided by a distinct sense of order, are the
dominant notes of the Arts of the Exposition and pre-eminently of the
sculpture. It proclaims with no uncertain voice that "all is right with
this Western world" - it is not too much to claim that it supplies the
humanized ideality for which the Exposition stands - the daring,
boasting masterful spirits of enterprise and imagination - the frank
enjoyment of physical beauty and effort - the fascination of danger; as
well as the gentler, more reverent of our attitudes, to this mysterious
problem that is Life.
One of the strongest influences the sculpture will have will be in the
direction of a new impulse to inventive decoration. This field has
remained relatively undeveloped, partly owing to our fondness for the
portrait idea, but the direction is legitimate and worthy. Architecture,
which is the growth of a selective precedence, must be continually
supplied with new impulses - new blood to re-energize, rehumanize its
conventions - and on the other hand, all such new impulses must be
trained into order with architecture. Within the last few years a school
devoted to the development of this, as it might be styled, applied
sculpture, has been maintained by a group of public-spirited architects
under the management of the Society of Beaux Arts Architects and the
National Sculpture Society of the United States of America.
The Star Goddess on the colonnades of the Court of the Universe amounts
to a definite creation of a new type of repeated architectural finial -
a human figure conventionalized to be come architecturally static - yet
not so devitalized as to be inert. Based on another style of
architecture the finials of the cloister of the Court of Ages serve a
correspondingly related purpose, and the crouching figures on columns in
this court are excellent examples of decorative crestings.
The groups of the Nations of the East and the Nations of the West are
new types in motif and composition of arch-crowning groups - to be seen
in silhouette against the sky at all points.
Both of these are grandly successful solutions of problems never before
attempted since the ancients imposed the quadriga form of composition.
They were first of all made possible by the receptive attitude of the
distinguished architects, Messrs. McKim, Mead and White - which proves
conclusively to me that those who are most versed in the various forms
of antique arts are also those who are most capable of accepting the
application of new motifs when sufficiently proven, and of quickly
assimilating genuine contributions to the growth of progressive art. By
so doing they lend to them all that wealth of refined elegance that has
come down through the ages. This acceptance in itself is fraught with
much encouragement to the growing school of public sculpture that aims
to understand the principles of co-operation and to weld them to an
ideal.
The above is true also of the Column of Progress, which was again made
possible by the instant comprehension of the architect, Mr. W. Symmes
Richardson. The Column illustrates a new use for an ancient motif. A
type of monument which while distinctly architectural in mass has been
humanized by the use of sculpture embodying a modern poetic idea. Now,
Mr. Critic, it does not matter in the least whether you care for this
idea or not. The fact remains, and is all important, that as a type of
sculptured column it is new and fills architectural and aesthetic
requirements, so that other columns of the same or kindred types will be
designed.
The Fountain of Energy and the Fountain of the Earth are the two
original fountain compositions. By which is meant that while there are
many other very charming fountains on the grounds they are distinctly
conceived within the rules of precedent and offer no new suggestion of
type. An exposition is the proper place to offer new types in design and
execution and happy are they who accept the challenge.
The fountains in the Court of the Universe are examples of how the charm
of sculpture can vitalize architectural conventions. The crowning
figures of these fountains, representations of the Rising and the
Setting Suns, have achieved great popularity.
The still potent charm of archaic methods applied to modern uses is well
illustrated in the groups of the "Dance" and of "Music" on the terraces
of the Court of the Universe. Again on the rotunda of the Fine Arts
Palace and elsewhere this tendency crops out and always with the
assurance of pleasing. The group representing the "Genius of Creation"
lends a modifying note of refinement against the vigorous Western facade
of Machinery Building, and adds much to the interest of the vistas north
and south of the Avenue of Progress.
There are figures and reliefs of genuine feeling that do not gain by
resemblances to the mannerisms of Rodin and Meunier, that are not in
harmony with the surrounding architecture. The original figures in the
south portal of the Palace of Varied Industries and the panel over the
entrance to the Palace of Liberal Arts are quite successful inserts of
new thought in old frames in spite of a touch, of this influence. Rodin,
the emancipator of modern sculpture, and a notorious anarchist as
regards architecture, is not always applicable. The imitation of his
style induces a negation of modeling only in evidence in one of his
manners of execution.
There is a vague tendency voiced by some critics to advance the theory
that the real future democracy of art depends on the verdict of the man
in the street. This is ridiculous. The future of art depends on no one
class of men, aristocratic or democratic. It depends on all men. Art is
neither democratic nor aristocratic. It knows no class - it is concerned
with life at large - elemental life. Art is praise and all things in
life are its subjects.
The group "Harvest" surmounting the great niche in the Court of the
Seasons is a fine placid thing - and the bull groups on the pylons are
time-honored, virile conceptions strikingly placed.
The three-tiered sculpture groupings of the Tower of Ages make rich
appeal in relation to the romantic architecture.
There are groups in niches in the west walls that will remain caviar to
the general, but which are conceived with a fine sense of decoration,
and need only a touch of relation to reconcile them to the observer. To
him they are too strange. Yet strangeness exists and if sufficiently
medicated is even admired. It is strange when one thinks of it, to have
had an Exposition.
"The End of the Trail" is perhaps the most popular work on the grounds -
the symbolism is simple and reaches many, with just the right note of
sentiment. On the other hand, there are those who have gone beyond the
obvious and prefer less realistic subjects particularly in relation to
architecture. Of this kind may be found many inserts and details making
no particular claim for attention except that of delightful enrichment.
The details of the Exposition are excellent and sometimes brilliant.
"The Pioneer" is not well understood. The trappings here puzzle the
realists who insist on a portrait of a certain personage - Joaquin
Miller. The sculptor, I know, intended nothing of the sort. It is his
vision of an aged pioneer living over again for a moment his prime.
Astride his ancient pony hung with chance trappings, symbols of
association, with axe and rifle with which he conquered the wilderness,
he broods the past.
A mural decoration should be fitting for the place which it embellishes
- both in color and composition. The subject, also, should be relatively
interesting, but not the first consideration as is the color, the line,
the chiaros-curo. At a glance the decoration should be the jewel for the
surrounding space. The murals at the Exposition are rather unusual in
their settings, where every building and every court is so replete with
Mr. Guerin's splendid coloring.
Mr. Brangwyn's decorations are by far the most interesting in their free
joyous use of color and amusing composition. From about the middle of
the cloister under the arches one turns to the right or left and is
greeted with a pleasant surprise of color. Then the story appears and is
buoyant and rich in execution. One is rather shocked when standing
directly near or underneath by the big patches of color and coarse
drawing, the vulgar types not well enough drawn to move our admiration.
The cloister looked poor to have such rich notes in each corner, but one
glance without the arches into the rich and teeming court, and we were
reconciled to their placing.
Mr. Simmons' color note is pleasant, seen across the great court. How
much more pleasant it is than to have adopted the blue of the heavens as
the dominating note - all the blue decorations in spite of their many
excellences look dull and grey and weary - the painters have not been
able to play up to and dominate the brilliant blue of the sky. In the
Court of the Four Seasons one finds color notes that are fitting, though
lacking in imaginative interest.
From the Avenue of Palms one looks across the Court of Flowers and sees
over an opening what appears to be a crucifixion. On nearer view one is
undeceived. The rich orange coloring and darker contrast is very
handsome. It is to be regretted that the lunettes over the other doors
are again that watery blue from heaven. Though brilliant in themselves
and clear in coloring, none of the three decorations in this court are
sufficiently naive in design for the space - much too smart and knowing,
they might be easel picture motifs used for the occasion. The American
public is so quick and clever that it is difficult to find in the
painters the simplicity of mind necessary for such work. Again we find
good composition and brilliant coloring in the two wall paintings in the
Pennsylvania Building.
The Italians have given us an imitation of their frescoing - the doing
of it in this manner illustrates the simplicity of the Italian mind, but
does not convey to one who has not been to Italy the absolute grandness
of Italian fresco.
This is not a detailed review nor can justice here be done to all that
honest, earnest, hopeful effort of the world-loving artist - he who
delights in the myriad phases of our lovely-terrible life, who naively
labors to bring forth his sonnet of praise. Be kind to him all ye who
contemplate, and remember how much easier it is to criticize than to -
be intelligently sympathetic. It is all for you. Take what you like, and
leave the rest without pollution. It may serve to comfort and to joy thy
fellow-man.
A. Stirling Calder.
Illustrations and Descriptive Notes of the Sculpture and Mural
Decorations of the Exposition
Fountain of Energy
Central Group, South Gardens
The Fountain of Energy in the place of honor within the main entrance
gives the keynote of the Exposition - a mood of triumphant rejoicing.
The proud bearing of the equestrian group, the wide sweep of water when
the fountain is in play, the sportive movement of the figures in the
basin, all express the joy of achievement. In the conception of the
sculptor, A. Stirling Calder, this was fitting tribute to the completion
of the Panama Canal which the Exposition celebrates.
The fountain has a double significance. In the first aspect it records
the conquest by Energy of the labors of the Canal. In the second it
proclaims the approach of the Super-Energy of the future. Both
interpretations are detailed upon the following pages. On the globe
supporting the horseman are indicated the sun's course North and South
and the evolution of mankind from lower to higher forms of life. That of
the strenuous Western hemisphere is connoted by a bullman; the quiet
East by a cat-human. Great oceans and lesser waters revel in the
fountain-bowl. A garland of merfolk join globe to base with great
sculptural beauty.
Equestrian Group
Detail, Fountain of Energy
In the more obvious phase of the fountain's meaning, Energy, the Lord of
the Isthmian Way, rides grandly upon the earth, triumphing because of
the Canal so well achieved. His outstretched arms have severed the lands
and let the waters pass. Upon his mighty shoulders stand Fame and Glory,
heralding the coming of a conqueror. The second and more subtle
intention is nobly prophetic. Energy, the Power of the Future, the
Superman, approaches. Twin inspirations - of two sexes to denote the
dual nature of man - urge him onward. His hands point upward, contacting
human energy with Divine. It is interesting to note the steadiness of
the central figure, the sense of firmness, security, in spite of the
feeling of motion in the whole. This is largely due to the hold of the
feet upon the stirrups and the weight of the body in the saddle.
North Sea - Atlantic Ocean
Details, Fountain of Energy
The basin of the Fountain of Energy is devoted to the revel of the
waters. The genii of the four great oceans dominate the scene. They are
mounted upon cavorting marine monsters and surrounded by the smaller
waters, fearlessly playing, head-downwards, upon dolphins about to dive.
The Atlantic Ocean faces East; the Pacific, West; the North and South
Seas their appropriate quarters. The symbolic figures are designed to
interpret the spirit of the oceans they represent - the Atlantic, fine
and bright, upon her armored sword-fish; the Pacific, a beautiful,
graceful, happily brooding Oriental; the North Sea, finned and
glistening, strange and eerie; the South Sea, savage and tempestuous,
blowing a fitful blast. The lesser waters have a lighter quality. The
hair of the sea-spirits suggests seaweed and coral. From the mouths of
of the sea-chargers jets of water rise to meet the nimbus and rainbows
of the semi-spherical downpour of the main fountain.
Mermaid Fountain
Festival Hall, South Gardens
Long, quiet mirror pools flank the great Fountain of Energy, giving
balance and calm to the entrance plaza, or South Gardens. They are
oblong in shape with the farther ends curving into a graceful convex.
The pools are surrounded by formal flowerbeds planted to correspond to
the beds surrounding the central fountain, thus giving continuity to the
whole. These beds are enclosed by a decorative fence which follows the
outline of the pools; the entering paths, emphasized at the outer ends
by flower urns, at the inner by sculptural light standards.
The curved ends of the pools are marked by Arthur Putnam's beautiful
Mermaid Fountain, in duplicate. The crowning figure is by no means the
conventional mermaid. She is free, full of grace, charmingly poised. The
bifurcated tail is original and gives sculptural distinction as well as
greater human appeal. The figure is instinct with a spirit of play but
is not boisterous. Arthur Putnam is a Californian who has greatly
influenced the development of art in the West.
Torch Bearer
Finial Figure, Festival Hall
As Festival Hall is the seat of the Exposition's musical life, all the
sculpture on and about the building expresses a lyrical mood. The
sculptor has contrived to give this feeling great variety; but, on the
whole, the large reclining figures - the beautiful, relaxed Reclining
Nymph and the Listening God over the great pylons - seem to be
meditatively listening, the seated figures have a fanciful, lighter
suggestion and those standing give a gentle effect of rhythm. The great
arches are marked by a cartouche emphasizing this intention.
"The Torch Bearer" here pictured is lightly yet firmly poised above the
minor domes. Exquisitely silhouetted against the sky, she has a spiral
beauty, and the grace of one posed in the midst of a dance. The work of
Sherry Edmundsen Fry, who made all the sculpture on Festival Hall, is,
generally characterized by a classic correctness combined with a modern
robustness. It lends itself well to this French Renaissance building - a
type that depends upon its sculptured embellishments.
The Muse and Pan
Pylon Group, Festival Hall
At the base of the great pylons that flank the columnar entrance court
of Festival Hall, are low pyramidal masses of foliage and flowering
shrubs. An interesting group by Sherry E. Fry is set in the midst of
each. The more evident figure, mounted upon a decorative pedestal, is
identical in both groups - a classic, flower-bearing Muse, who seems to
step softly forward. But though the Muse is repeated, the groups vary in
the smaller seated figures at the base of the pedestals. This variation
is not felt architecturally, for the figures balance perfectly and are
nestled in a mass of leafage. At the feet of the Muse before the
northern pylon a Boy Pan sits among the flowers, balanced in the
southern group by a Young Nymph or Dryad.
The gentle dignity of the standing Muse and the reality and softness of
her draperies recall the same sculptor's figure, Peace, exhibited in the
department of Fine Arts and awarded a medal by the jury. The
architectural beauty of these groups, in relation to the arched panels
of the pylons forming their background, is worthy of study. It will be
seen that the group, in spite of its statuesque quality, is actually
part of the wall surface. The beauty of the ensemble is greatly enhanced
by the sympathetic planting.
Boy Pan
Detail, Pylon Group, Festival Hall
Without doubt the most popular, if not the most admired, of the statues
that adorn Festival Hall is the "Boy Pan," nestled in the foliage at the
base of the pedestal in the group just described. This roguish little
god of woodland music has, besides his traditional attributes, a certain
urchin quality that is very appealing. He has just taken his pipe from
his lips, momentarily diverted by the presence of an alert lizard his
melody has attracted. The lizard is here hidden in the leafage. The arch
amusement of the whole figure, the mischievous, boyish smile upon his
face, have allurement, just lifted from the normal by the quaint
suggestion of small horns still in velvet. Here in his youth is the
wholesome, simple, poetic Pan of the earlier myths, he who grew into the
"Great God Pan," rather than the hero of the more subtle and diversified
later legends. His pertness is contrasted with the shy modesty of the
Young Nymph, the companion figure at the foot of the opposite pylon.
Detail, Spire Base
Palace of Horticulture
The Palace of Horticulture, a combination of French Renaissance with the
Byzantine, is consistently flowery in decoration. It has been given a
carnival expression. The general sculptured adornments are heavy
garlands and overflowing baskets, and profuse ornamentations of flowers.
Large flower-decked jars stand in niches; the cartouches bear the flower
motif. Suggestions of lattices and arbors appear in the low domes on the
porches surrounding the great greenhouses, reminiscent of French garden
architecture of the Great Age.
The superb central glass dome that gives the building distinction is
crowned by a huge flower basket and draped at its base by a long
garland. At the foot of the sharply ascending spires - the slender
shafts of which are carved with conventionalized vines and bear tapering
flower urns as finials - stand graceful garlands of girls. These
pleasing spire bases, the attendants of Flora, are by Ernest Louis
Boutier, a Parisian. They carry small baskets of flowers on their heads,
a chain of flowers binds them. The same feeling is continued in the
caryatids on this building, by John Bateman. These, also flower-capped,
are repeated on the Press and Y. W. C. A. buildings, smaller structures
in the South Gardens adjoining the Horticultural Palace, thus unifying
the buildings in the plaza.
Cortez
In Front of Tower of Jewels
Equestrian statues of Cortez and Pizzaro stand in the Avenue of Palms at
the base of the Tower of Jewels to suggest the early history of the
South and West of this hemisphere as a background to the present
achievements at Panama and, indeed, at San Francisco. This spirited and
romantic presentation of the fearless conquistador, Hernando Cortez,
shows him at the very height of his proud successes. Charles Niehaus,
whose work is always direct and convincing, has made us feel the Spanish
conqueror's own sense of victory. We know that now Mexico, the
Tlascalans and the Emperor Montezuma have been vanquished, that the
victor's ruthless ambition is already dreaming of the conquest of New
Spain and the navigation of the Pacific. There are infused into the work
a brilliancy and dash that fill the imagination with the glamor of that
picturesque period of history. The perfect horsemanship, the restrained
but vigorous motion, the whole bearing, have a stirring beauty. There is
also intended and expressed in the countenance a sense of vision, as if
Cortez had here a prophetic moment in which he saw the future of the
continent he claimed.
Pizarro
In Front of Tower of Jewels
Pizzaro, the companion equestrian to Cortez, is the work of Charles Cary
Rumsey. The grim, stern and epic history of the bold, arrogant
adventurer who was merciless in success and dauntless in failure is
ruggedly suggested by this figure, mounted upon a heavily armored
charger and advancing with drawn sword. The fact that Pizzaro was a
member of Balboa's party when that explorer discovered the Pacific and
that he himself was in charge of a Spanish colony at Darien in 1510,
makes his appearance at this Exposition appropriate. But it is, after
all, the conqueror of the Incas, the indomitable, who spared neither his
men nor his enemy until the rich cities of the Southern Empire had been
pillaged of their gold and destroyed, who is here portrayed. After
achieving wealth and honors Pizzaro was slain by the followers of a
rival conquistador. The position of these two equestrians is well
chosen; the colonnade of the Tower makes an impressive background.
The Pioneer
Avenue of Palms
History of a later period, nearer to the heart of Westerners, is
embodied in Solon Borglum's lusty and venerable Pioneer. This impressive
equestrian stands on the Avenue of Palms at the entrance to the court of
Flowers. It is interesting to note that, in this rugged and commanding
figure, fineness, dignity and nobility are emphasized as well as the
more customary endurance and hardihood conventionally associated with
the character. On the leather trappings of the old Pioneer's horse, the
tepee, the canoe and other symbols of Indian life are marked. The
sculptor is himself the son of pioneers and has treated this subject
with sincerity and affectionate insight. The Pioneer has been greatly
appreciated and has received special notice in a number of addresses
delivered by distinguished guests of the Exposition. Its veracity is
attested by the fact that resemblance to several famous pioneers has
been imagined in it by their admirers.
The End of the Trail
Avenue of Palms
Still further back into the historical records of American stamina goes
The End of the Trail by James Earle Fraser. No single work of art at the
Exposition has attracted more popular applause than this. It has a
gripping, manly pathos that makes a direct appeal. The physical vigor of
the rider, over-tried but sound, saves it from mere sentiment. An Indian
brave, utterly exhausted, his strong endurance worn through by the long,
hard ride, storm-spent, bowed in the abandon of helpless exhaustion,
upon a horse as weary as he, has come to the end of the trail, beyond
which there is no clear path. It is easy to apply the message of this
statue to the tragedy of the American Indian's decline upon the
continent he once possessed. The sculptor acknowledges as his text these
words of Marian Manville Pope: The trail is lost, the path is hid and
winds that blow from out the ages sweep me on to that chill borderland
where Time's spent sands engulf lost peoples and lost trails.
Historic Types
Finial Figures, Tower of Jewels
As repeated alternating figures on the top of corner pedestals on the
first stage of the Tower of Jewels, stand The Four Agents of
Civilization, the historic influences that have developed our American
life. These, the Adventurer, the Soldier, the Priest and the
Philosopher, have been presented with vivid simplicity by John Flanagan.
He has given us, first, the Adventurous Explorer, romantic, courageous,
he who crossed the uncharted seas and found new worlds; then the
formidable conquering Soldier, he who founded settlements and held them
with his sword or fought with natives for empire or riches for European
monarchs; then the Missionary Priest, inspired with a holy zeal to
spread the divine message to strange peoples; and, last, the
Philosopher, the Thinker, whose great influence is but now beginning.
The treatment of these figures is quiet, restful and architectural in
feeling, as becomes their position. They supply the serious note to the
gala Tower.
Fountain of Youth
Colonnade, Tower of Jewels
Within the colonnades of the Tower are two wall-fountains by American
women. The Fountain of Youth in the eastern colonnade is the work of
Edith Woodman Burroughs. She has given us the eternally desired fountain
in a new aspect, not as the legendary restorative that changes age to
adolescence, but as the fount of perpetual youth that keeps inspiring
and vivifying the race and every stage of our life.
An exquisite nude girl stands in a beautifully balanced archway rising
like a flower from a pedestal on which are seen, like roots, vaguely
outlined, the faces of her ancestors. She is Youth, the center of life,
for which the world, its dreams and its rewards are made. The side
panels show the ships of life laden with the aged and manned by
infants, off on the sea of time on the endless quests upon which youth
and desire for its fulfillment's keep the world launched. However, the
enduring charm of the fountain certainly comes from the little-girlhood
of the central figure, the gentle, expectant sweetness of waning
childhood and the perfect purity of the emotion it produces.
Fountain of El Dorado
Colonnade, Tower of Jewels
Within the West colonnade of the Tower of Jewels is the other fountain
desired by all the world - the Fountain of El Dorado. Like the Fountain
of Youth it is connected by legend with early Spanish exploration in
America. Long ago, the story goes, there lived in Mexico or South
America a golden king who scattered treasures along his path. El Dorado
and his realm have long been symbols of the elusive gold sought by
mankind in all ages and every clime.
In this fountain by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, it is not the mere
possession of wealth that is so sought, but those joys of which our
mistaken imaginings make gold the symbol. In the central composition
here pictured, the Gilded One has vanished through the portals.
Impersonal, unresponsive attendants in Aztec garb guard the door from
suppliant followers. With subtle symbolism they give no sign as to
whether or not they will relent and give entrance. But the fact that
branches of trees have grown close across the opening seems to imply
that hope is slight.
Frieze
Details, Fountain of El Dorado
Two long curving panels supplement the main archway of the Fountain of
El Dorado. They represent the striving of humankind for Power and
Possession. Some by prowess, some by thought; some gaily, some
sorrowfully; some urgent, some patient; some rushing, some lingering -
all press onward toward the longed-for goal. Here and there one falls
fainting; another halts for love or pleasure or indifference. Some stop
to lift or help the fallen, others press by unheeding. The certain sad
fatality of the concept is relieved of its pang by the light and fluent
beauty of treatment. The idea is perhaps a little grim, but the handling
is pleasant and the impression agreeable. The beauty of both the
colonnade fountains is enhanced by the lines of the water in the cascade
stairway. In the Fountain of El Dorado this effect is increased by a
line of balanced jets flowing from dolphin heads in the lower panel.
Nations of the East
Group, Arch of the Rising Sun
Across the great Court of the Universe, the Court of Honor of the
Exposition, the Nations of the East and West face each other from the
summits of their triumphal arches. They express the coming brotherhood
of man, the nations brought closer by Canal and Exposition, and the fact
that civilization has girdled the earth. Inscriptions characteristic of
Eastern and Western wisdom are engraved beneath them. These heroic
groups are the result of the successful collaboration of A. Stirling
Calder, Frederick G. R. Roth, and Leo Lentelli.
In the Eastern group here pictured, about a richly caparisoned elephant
stand the camel drivers, Egypt and Assyria; the equestrians, Arabian and
Mongolian; two Negro Servitors; the Bedouin Falconer and the Chinese
Llama. The pyramidal composition is massive and the Eastern spirit nobly
sustained. On pylons before both arches, Leo Lentelli's Guardian Genii -
calm, impressive, winged spirits - guard the universe. The unity of men
and nature are denoted by the Rising and Setting Sun fountains, the row
of Stars, the Zodiac friezes and the Elements. Of these, "Air and Earth"
appear in the foreground of the picture. In the distance is "Music," one
of the classic groups contacting the Court with the carnival spirit. All
these are described on later pages.
Pegasus
Spandrels, East and West Arches
These spandrels, by Frederick G. R. Roth, are interesting artistically,
not only for the eager sweep and sense of bigness not usual in the
narrow scope of a spandrel, but especially for their warm decorative
value to the wall surface and the aspiring way in which they follow the
rising line of the archway over which they are placed. The spandrels are
made in very vigorous low relief. They express the place of poetry in
the Universe. For, in this court that celebrates man's achievements in
the East and West, and Nature's gifts to all, the poet on his winged
horse appears to inspire the one and interpret the other. The spandrels
throughout the Exposition are noteworthy. It is significant of the
artistic conscientiousness in detail of those who planned the sculpture
that these and other smaller pieces are so uniformly beautiful. Notable
among them are August Jaegers' spandrels in the Court of the Four
Seasons and Albert Weinert's in the Court of Palms.
The Stars
A Detail of the Colonnade
A sense of eternal spaces, the feeling of calm and elemental
tranquillity, is given to the Court of the Universe by the surrounding
Colonnade of Stars. The quiet stars look, down upon the activities of
men. The semi-conventionalized Star figure, light and firm, repeated
about the Colonnade is a highly important factor in the architectural
beauty of the Court. She stands a-tiptoe on the globe that forms her
pedestal; the circle of her arms about the starry head-dress implies the
endlessness of space. The pointed headdress is hung with jewels of the
kind that decorate the tower. These carry the jubilant idea of the tower
around the Court. They twinkle brilliantly where the sun strikes them
and are illuminated by thin shafts of searchlight at night. This Star
figure by A. Stirling Calder has been reproduced in the insignia of the
Exposition on a number of its official engravings and is the central
design of the gold badges of the Directors and the silver badges of the
Chiefs of Departments.
Earth
Detail, One of "The Elements"
The Four Elements, heroic pieces by Robert I. Aitken, are placed at the
top of the main stairways leading down into the sunken gardens of the
Court of the Universe. In spite of their imaginative themes, these
massive works have the same gripping reality that characterizes all the
later method of this sculptor. He has treated the elements, especially
"Earth" and "Air," in their relation to man. As here pictured, "Earth,"
the quiet mother, sleeps on her rocks, over which little human beings
struggle and toil. The rear view of "Air," the group on the opposite
side of the same stairway, may be seen in the foreground of the plate
illustrating The Nations of the East. "Air" holds a star in her hair;
she has great wings and is attended by floating sea-gulls. Behind her, a
man has strapped his arms to her mighty pinions, signifying the effort
of the present age to ride the winds. "Fire" and "Water," across the
gardens, are shown in vivid action; "Fire" roaring with his salamander,
and "Water" blowing a stormy gust across the waves.
The Signs of the Zodiac
Frieze on the Corner Pavilions
Low relief, the form that is so difficult and so beautiful and
satisfying when perfectly achieved, is at its finest in the sculptured
mural panels that crown the corner pavilions of the Court of the
Universe and the Forecourt of the Stars. These are the panels of "The
Signs of the Zodiac," by Hermon A. MacNeil, who is better known to
Exposition visitors by his finial group, "The Adventurous Bowman," on
the Column of Progress. The idea of the overhanging, serene heavens,
expressed by the Star Colonnade, is extended by these panels. About the
central figure of Atlas or Time, his heavenly daughters move, bearing
the Zodiacal symbols, to indicate the sweep of the constellations and
the onward march of time. This impression of the steady, slow passage of
our days is increased by the gentle motion of the figures, so slight as
to be felt rather than seen. The frieze has a clean-cut effect almost
cameo-like in its precision and the harmony and grace of the whole
composition have frequently been found suggestive of the decorations on
an Attic urn.
Nations of the West
Group, Arch of the Setting Sun
As we look across the Court of the Universe towards the Nations of the
West, the vastness of the Court and the commanding effect of these great
groups of the nations impress us. The high columns of the Rising and
Setting Sun fountains, the monumental groups of the "Elements," the
classic "Music" and "Dance" of heroic size, are merged in the splendid
sweep of the Court; the dignified circle of sculptured light-standards
is dwarfed by the perspective. But these mighty processional masses of
the Nations still dominate the whole. This western group, companion to
the Nations of the East, centers about the prairie schooner, which
balances the elephant in the opposing composition, and the girlish
figure of a young pioneer mother, poetically called "The Mother of
Tomorrow." Accompanying her are represented the nations that have
contributed to our American civilization. The group is by the same
sculptors in collaboration who made the group of eastern nations. The
four equestrians, the Latin-American, the French-Canadian, the
Anglo-American, the Indian and the trudging Squaw are by Leo Lentelli;
the pedestrian figures, the bowed Alaskan women, the German and the
Italian are by F. G. R. Roth, who made also the oxen and the prairie
schooner. The Mother and the crowning symbolic group of "Enterprise" and
the "Hopes of the Future" are by A. Stirling Calder, who is responsible
for the general composition.
Enterprise
Detail, Nations of the West
The prairie schooner that forms the axis of the Nations of the West is
crowned by an animated, imaginative group so perfectly co-ordinated with
the realistic main composition that it causes no sense of discord. This
group of "Enterprise" and the "Hopes of the Future" by A. Stirling
Calder, forms the apex of the pyramidal construction. It gives the
required height and balances the howdah on the elephant in the companion
group, the Nations of the East, on the opposite archway. The spirit of
Enterprise, a kneeling figure whose encircling wings carry the rewards
of the world, calls aloud to summon initiative, encouragement and
perseverance to the brave and adventurous who advance our progress. This
Enterprise is the pioneer spirit that discovered and developed America.
At the feet of Enterprise sit the Hopes of the Future; two boys, one
white, the other, negro. These sound the note of deep humanity that
underlies the poetry of the conception. This group of the Western
nations has an appropriate sub-title, "The Pioneers."
Dance
Balustrade, Court of the Universe
At the top of the longitudinal stairways in the Court of the Universe
are Paul Manship's "Music" and "Dance." These are typical examples of
that sculptor's power to combine classic restraint, sculptural dignity
and grace of line with complete freedom and untrammeled ease of method.
They express a musical mood, supplying the honor of musical art to the
otherwise incomplete celebration of man's achievements. In "Dance," here
reproduced, the beautiful movement of the figures and the garlands, full
in volume but light in weight, are superlatively well presented. A
glimpse of the companion group, "Music," can be had in the plate devoted
to the Nations of the East. In this are two classic male figures, the
Composer and the Musician. One holds an open scroll from which the other
reads as he pauses in touching the strings of a lyre. A number of
distinguished exhibits by Mr. Manship, showing all phases of his art,
appear in the Palace of Fine Arts where he has been awarded the honor of
a gold medal.
The Rising Sun
Fountain, Court of the Universe
"The Rising" and "The Setting Sun," by Adolph A. Weinman, stand high
against the heavens on tall shafts that rise from fountain bowls. They
are inspired with a sort of rapturous imagery and they so inspire the
beholder. "The Rising Sun," a youth with outstretched wings, a figure
suggestive of gladness, hope and the dawn of high adventure, is a
fitting symbol of the sunrise. He seems "a-tiptoe for a flight" on the
summit of his column; his profile against the sky is superb. On the
opposite column "The Setting Sun," a young woman with pensive face,
shaded by her hair and drooping wings, sinks to rest. These figures
stand on translucent shafts that are pillars of light in the evening.
They bear garlanded capitals and rise from double fountain bowls bound
together by rising and falling jets and sheets of water. The column
bases are finished with beautiful friezes, one symbolic of the Sun of
Truth, the other of the Peace of Night. Winged mermen support the upper
basin; sea-creatures gambol in the lower.
Column of Progress
In the Forecourt of the Stars
One of the most serious and thoughtful works of the Exposition sculpture
is the Column of Progress which faces the bay at the end of the
Forecourt of Stars. This column represents with direct imagery the
upward progress of man. The shaft itself is sculptured with
conventionalized waves in a gradually ascending spiral, upon which a
repeated vessel, the Ship of Life, sails upward, indicating the slow
upward rise of our life. The lower panels, significant of man's
endeavors, are described on the following page. The crowning group, "The
Adventurous Bowman," noble in intent and in sculptural power, is from
the hand of Hermon A. MacNeil. At the highest point of man's
achievement, stands this Adventurous Bowman, the super-hero, the leader,
the man with insight into the future, who shoots his arrow into the Sun
of Truth. Behind him the next man supports and is protected, by him.
Beside him kneels the woman with his reward in her hands. The frieze
beneath the group shows the Burden-Bearers on whose shoulders the hero
stands - an arresting thought; reminder of the true values in modern
life.
Frieze
Base, Column of Progress
The four panels at the base of the Column of Progress sympathetically
express its exalted idealism. They are by Isadore Konti, in richly
wrought high relief. The play of color values, the planes of light and
shade, are handled with mastery. These four panels indicate that the
thought, the dream, the aspiration, the dutiful devotion underlying all
the labors of the common day are the source of their progress. One panel
shows the higher toils of the mind, as in the arts and statesmanship. In
the center of this stands the inventor or leader of thought with the
eagle of aspiration above him. Another shows the motives of love and
pain and prayer and the central power of labor as movers of the world.
Still another, which is shown here, expresses the humbler toils of
mankind; even they, it says, progress upward through the thinker who
pauses in their midst to dream. The other panel here pictured represents
the triumph of man's endeavors, and the successes that spur to greater
achievements.
Primitive Ages
Altar Tower, Court of Ages
The Tower of Ages, in the Court of Ages, represents Evolution. The lower
group, here illustrated, presents "The Early Ages." This shows the
development of man from his physical beginnings among the creatures of
the ooze up through the cave man and the Stone Age to the growth of the
family ideal out of which sprang a higher civilization. The second group
shows "The Middle Ages." Its three figures are the Monk, the Armored
Bowman, and, at the apex, the Crusader, the highest expression of
idealism, of that period. "The Present Age" crowns the whole, upon an
altar sits the Woman Enthroned and Enshrined. Her children, the future,
are at her feet. Their finger-tips touch a symbol, the Cosmos. One bears
a book, the other the wheel of a machine. Figures of Mutation flank the
central composition. The sculpture on the Tower of Ages is by Chester A.
Beach, whose emancipated and vigorous manner is exactly suited to the
presentment of these strong ideas.
Primitive Man
Arcade Finial, Court of Ages
In accord with the basic idea of the beginning, change and upward growth
of the human race and its emotional life that are emphasized in this
eastern court, rough, plastic figures of "Primitive Man" and "Primitive
Woman" surmount the elaborate arcade. They harmonize with the conception
and treatment of the, group on the Tower of Ages. They are the work of
Albert Weinert, the sculptor who made the much-admired "Miner" in the
portal niches of the Palace of Mines and Metallurgy, and "Philosophy" on
Administration Avenue. He presents these parents of civilization at the
transition stage when they are still savage but have become physically
upright and begun to develop the elementary glimmering of intellectual
and emotional consciousness. They stand as finials on the continued
columns that pierce the arcade wall and emphasize the arches. Dividing
the spaces above them, on a higher level, are repeated finials of a pert
chanticleer, emblem of the east, the dawn and immortality.
Fountain of Earth
Central Group, Court of Ages
Here is one of the most majestic and imposing enrichments of
contemporary art developed by the Exposition. The Fountain of Earth by
Robert I. Aitken has compelled the attention of the world of art and won
the gold medal for sculpture of the year offered by the Architectural
League. In this fountain the idea of man's evolution takes a subtler and
more profound significance. In general, it shows the development and
growth of love from its lower to higher forms and the upward effect of
that spiritualization upon the life of the earth. In the secondary
group, a prelude and epilogue to the main composition, on the prow of
the Ship of Earth are grouped the loves, greeds, passions, griefs and
spiritual cravings of man and woman, who come and go from the Unknown to
the Unknowable. The great arms of Destiny, pushing and pointing, giving
and taking, guide the way. Between the four panels of Life on the Earth,
stand the Hermes, milestones of ancient Rome, here used as milestones
upon the road of Time. Sea-creatures indicate our origin in the waters.
The description of the panels follows on succeeding pages.
Survival of the Fittest
A Panel, Fountain of Earth
The central fountain shows the globe of Earth revolving in the Infinite.
Streams of water by day, clouds of luminous steam by night, give it the
effect of swimming out of chaos. The powerful panels of Earth are boldly
modeled in pierced relief, giving statuesque realism as well as the
picturesqueness demanded of a panel. They follow in a natural sequence
as regards their deep and arresting symbolism. The order is, first, the
Southern, then the Western, Northern and Eastern panels as the fountain
lies. The panel here illustrated is third in the sequence. In the first
panel are shown the motive Elemental Emotions - Vanity, Sexual Love and
mere Physical Parenthood without enlightenment. After the next milestone
is the second panel called "Natural Selection." This presents the
approach of the Strong Man; little wings beside his head indicate the
dawn of Intellect. Women turn to him attracted by his qualities. Of the
men whom they have deserted, one resigns in sorrow; the other prepares
to contend the the issue. In the next phase, here illustrated, "The
Survival of the Fittest," the struggle has begun. The following pages
resume the story.
Lesson of Life
A Panel, Fountain of Earth
In the panel of "The Survival of the Fittest" the battle of life is at
its height. The men are in a furious struggle of strength and prowess.
The interplay of human passions, the contests of wills and capacities,
has developed. The women, too, are taking a conscious part in life, one
weeping and shrinking from the fray, the other extending a restraining
hand. In the last and noblest panel, called "The Lesson of Life," we see
the spiritualized and intellect-guided emotions. A helmeted man and
pure-browed woman gaze tenderly in each other's eyes. Youth, full of
impulse and fire, stays to listen to the voice of Reason. The lover
keeps in touch with the guiding memory of the Mother. And the cycle is
completed from animal to mental toward the higher foundation of life
upon the earth. Seldom has more exaltation of thought or intensity of
feeling been infused, without mawkishness or exaggeration, into a work
of art. The Fountain of Earth, is deeply interpretive of the trend of
modern thought.
Helios
Separate Group, Fountain of Earth
On the wall of the basin of the Fountain of Earth, is a subsidiary group
called "Helios, the Sun." It is a decorative point of finish and is also
symbolic. The Sun is taken as the symbol of the Cosmos, the enduring,
the Day, the source of life. Man is pictured as clinging to it, in the
hope of being freed from the encircling coils of his baser self and the
old earthy entanglements that hold him down, and destroy him. This group
and the main fountain, as well as the sides of the beautiful court, are
mirrored in the long still pool in which the fountain stands - a pool
properly free from splashes or springs as befits the setting of this
intricate and massive work. The rapid and stable growth of Robert I.
Aitken, sculptor of the Fountain of Earth, is of particular interest to
San Francisco, the city of his birth, and the site of several of his
earlier efforts.
Water Sprites
Base of Column, Court of Ages
The "Water Sprite Columns" in the Court of Ages bring the somber
symbolism of this court back to the gay spirit of festival. The sprites
are the work of Leo Lentelli; they have a quaint elfin quality that is
very engaging. The amusing and lovely group seated about the base of the
column have a certain chic habit of pointing elbows, wrists and ankles
that lends an unworldly attraction. Their sister sprite at the top of
the slender decorated shaft is mischievously aiming an arrow downwards.
These Sprite Columns express the gay, frolicsome mood of the waters.
Their feeling harmonizes more with the sea-weed and shell decorations of
the court itself and its falling-water motif than with the weightier
sculpture it contains. They create a pleasing ripple of merriment. Their
light and airy modeling has the beauty of unconscious and unforced
artistry. The columns stand just within the northern entrance of the
court, guarding a vista of the bay.
A Daughter of the Sea
North Aisle, Court of Ages
In this "Daughter of the Sea," Sherry E. Fry has given us a nymph who
typifies the life within the watery sphere where it is deep and broad.
She has the robustness, volume and vigor of the great high seas. She is
deep-bosomed and broad of thigh and stands as though storms and monsters
had no terrors, as one accustomed to breast and conquer the waves. Water
creatures supplement her, but she seems made on too goddess-like a scale
to disport herself with them. It is interesting to contrast this nymph
of the fathomless trough of the sea with the arch and playful Water
Sprites of the froth and ripple, on the columns within the Court of
Ages. This statue is placed in the Forecourt of Ages, facing the Marina,
the court that is designed to graduate the richness of the larger court
toward the more severe facades on the Marina. Sherry E. Fry's work, in a
less rugged vein, appears upon Festival Hall.
The Fairy
Finial Figure, Italian Towers
The gay and gracefully ethereal towers on corner pavilions at the
entrance to the Court of Palms and the Court of Flowers, sometimes
called The Kelham Towers for their architect, are pointed by a long and
pleasing slope of wings. Carl Gruppe's slender Fairy stands upon them,
poised, as though just alighted. This finial figure has a pretty
wistfulness that suggests the whimsical firefly fairies of Peter Pan
more than the conventional gauzy creatures of ordinary fairy tale, and
is more like a female counterpart of Shakespeare's "delicate Ariel" who
sucks "where the bee sucks" than any other creature of fancy. The
curving antennae increase this impression. She carries in her hand a
whirling star. The silhouette of the figure is attractive and the halo
of sky behind the head framed within the circle of the wings, lends a
distinct charm. It is pleasant to have this symbol of imagination over
the Exhibit palaces, especially in the Courts of Palms and Flowers, more
suited to the fairy feeling than, perhaps, any other spot upon the
grounds.
Flower Girl
Niche, Court of Flowers
The perfect balance of this "Flower Girl" by A. Stirling Calder, saved
from any hint of rigidity by the graceful curves of its extended lines,
makes it an admirable wall decoration. Harmony with the wall-niche in
which it appears is part of its allurement. The sculptor has modestly
sought to merge the figure's loveliness into that of the Court and has
succeeded in increasing both. "The Flower Girl" appears in outer niches
of the attic cloister of the court bearing her name, the Court of
Flowers. A light garlanded mantle falls like a petal from her shoulders,
the floating edge following the line of the nymph's divided hair, so
that the maiden seems more like a flower itself than a flowerbearer.
However, she has the sculptural solidity necessary for her location and
resembles not some frail, wind-blown blossom, but the robust and buxom
California blooms that flourish in the court below her.
Beauty and the Beast
Fountain Detail, Court of Flowers
The Fountain of Beauty and the Beast in the Court of Flowers accentuates
the feeling of gentle fancy and the spirit of the fairytale that are the
mood of this and its companion court. It is by Edgar Walter, a
distinguished San Franciscan; he has given us a delightful, playful and
tender rendition of the old tale that has held the imagination of the
world since it first appeared in Straparola's "Piacevoli Notti" in 1550.
Since it was popularized by Madame le Prince de Beaumont in 1757, the
story has been translated into every language. The fountain shows, with
great restraint and refinement of handling, one of Beauty's
ministrations to the sick monster shortly before his transformation. It
is subject to the symbolism that may be read into the story itself; but
the note of fairy magic is the essential theme of the fountain. Quaint
fairy pipers, the unseen musicians of the Monster's Palace, stand about
the pedestal. The lower basin bears a frieze of charmed or enchanted
beasts, very lightly handled and not insistent. Their idea is continued
in the court by the gryphon decorations and Albert Laessle's
wreath-bearing Friendly Lions, at the entrances to the palaces.
Caryatid
Court of Palms
The Court of Palms is restful, meditative, a place where the feeling of
magical allure takes a deeper, more subjective character. It might well
be called the Court of Pools, for two, quiet pools, one circular, one
oblong except for its concave side to hold the other, fill the floor of
its sunken garden and reflect its pensive as well as its physical
charms. The Caryatids repeated throughout this court are the joint work
of John Bateman and A. Stirling Calder. They inject into the court its
fairy spirit without disturbing its repose. They are Puckish,
bat-winged, goblin-horned fairy creatures of an eerie beauty, elfin,
roguish and quaint. Their quality is enhanced by the beautiful color
that has been applied to them, to the garlanded panels between them, to
the cartouches over the archways and, indeed, to all the decorations on
the walls and columns of this court. This richness and depth of color
leads the eye to the three splendid mural lunettes in the arches. These
are Childe Hassam's "Fruit and Flowers" and Charles Holloway's "Pursuit
of Pleasure," at the entrances to the palaces, and Arthur Mathews'
"Victory of Culture Over Force" in the portal that leads to the Court of
the Four Seasons and frames a vista of the bay.
The Harvest
Court of the Four Seasons
The Court of the Four Seasons, classic in spirit, finished and chaste in
execution, required a perfect harmony of mass, line and feeling in the
sculpture that was to embellish it. It was the further task of the
sculptors and mural painters to give the court its meaning, to
illustrate the idea of the earth's abundance and the fruitful
beneficence of the seasons that is implied in the title of the court.
That they have nobly succeeded in this difficult double achievement is
an actual triumph. "The Harvest," by Albert Jaegers, crowning the
half-dome, is a magnificent bit of architectural sculpture. It seems a
faithful part of the surface it enriches; its outlines are faultlessly
balanced; although its sides are varied, its mass is superbly centered.
The Goddess of the Plentiful Harvest sits in the slope of an overflowing
cornucopia; a sheaf of ripe wheat rests in her supporting arm; she is
attended by a lad who can scarcely lift the weight of fruit he bears.
The group is bound more closely to the half-dome by a graceful garland
applied to the wall-surface Mr. Jaegers has further illustrated the
traditional idea of Harvest Home festivals by the vigorous groups, "The
Feast of Sacrifice," which adorn the huge pylons of this court.
Rain
Court of the Four Seasons
On separate columns flanking the Half-Dome of the Harvest, Albert
Jaegers has given us classic presentations of the two great resources of
nature that bring the blessing of rich harvest. These are symbolic
figures, "Rain," here pictured, and "Sunshine." In "Rain," the nymph of
the Earth, holds upward a shell, her cup, in grateful expectation of the
beneficent rainfall, while she shields her head from the storm with a
cloud-like mantle. On the other column, that of "Sunshine," the nymph
shades her head with an arching palm-branch, though she looks up in
happy appreciation to the welcome glow of the sun. As in his "Harvest"
and "The Feast of Sacrifice," Mr. Jaegers has here given with perfect
restraint a sense of generous weight, of richness, profusion and mass
that are highly satisfying in their artistic aspect and are valuable
interpreters of the message of the Court. August Jaegers, a younger
brother of this sculptor, has embellished the arcade of this court with
an attractive repeated attic figure. In voluminous, decorative draperies
this female figure stands between two young orange trees, her arms about
them - significant of the harvest of California.
Fountain of Spring
Court of the Four Seasons
The seasons of the year are expressed in the Court that honors them by
four wall-fountains, the work of Furio Piccirilli. The sculptured groups
are set in colonnaded niches, against a warm background of deep pastel
pink wall. The water flows over a cascade stairway. The floors of this
and of the basin are painted pale Oriental green, giving a luminous
beauty to the water, especially at night in the glow of hidden lighting.
The planting about the niches and the trailing green on the walls are
component parts of the fountains' beauty. The sculptor has felt the
Seasons in their gradual changes, as found in California, rather than in
the usual sharp divisions. He has infused them with a wistful sadness,
however, as at the passing of time. In "Spring," here illustrated, for
example, we feel something more than the Youth, Flowers, Love and
Promise obvious in the composition - something tender and romantic but
by no means gay.
Fountain of Winter
Court of the Four Seasons