just described, are similarly installed in their respective niches in
the Court of Four Seasons. In "Summer" is represented the earth's early
fruition. A young mother lifts her new-born babe for its father's kiss.
A gleaner harvests the grain. Over all is a gentle solemnity. In
"Autumn," probably the most admired of the four, against the background
of a fruit-bearing tree, a superb nymph bears proudly the full jar of
wine or oil. On one side a crouched figure gathers a richly-laden
garland of the vine; on the other, a youthful, kneeling female figure
plays with a lusty child. Even this period of completion is marked by
the general pensive beauty. It is emphasized most, however, in "Winter,"
here illustrated. The bowed, worn toiler rests on his shovel, the spirit
of the year waits, still and brooding. But, on the other hand, the sower
is ready to cast the new seeds; the cycle re-commences.
Fountain of Ceres
Forecourt of the Four Seasons
The Forecourt of the Seasons, the continuation of the Court of the Four
Seasons to the Marina, is officially called the Forecourt of Ceres,
because of Evelyn Beatrice Longman's Fountain of Ceres which commands
it. Ceres, or Demeter, the goddess of Agriculture, presided over the
Earth's abundance. By her favor, came the good harvest; she it was who
first instructed man in the use of the plough. In the loveliest of
antique myths she is the mother of Prosperine, the Spring. Miss Longman
has expressed her as exultant, regal, young - far less matronly than as
conventionally pictured - glorying in her power to bless the cooperative
labors of man and nature. She holds as her sceptre the stalk of corn,
and offers the crown of summer to the world. The central figure is not
more lovely than the pedestal base on which she stands. A frieze of
dancing maidens, wrought in cleancut low relief, Greek in manner,
celebrate the Harvest feast. In the accompanying illustration, the
groups on pylons, by Albert Jaegers, already described, may be seen in
the background.
The Genius of Creation
Central Group, Avenue of Progress
"The Genius of Creation," by Daniel Chester French, has the superb
simplicity of all works of that master of sculptural calm, intellectual
power and straightforward sincerity. Mr. French is said to make no
mistakes in composition; his precision is not dryness but technical ease
and infallibility; his classical quality is not obedience to tradition
but insight, into the underlying laws that made tradition. Here we have
a splendid example of his perfection of mass, balance and finish and of
quiet, inspiring depth and directness of feeling. Creation extends
life-giving arms over the universe. Serene, brooding, blessing, the
noble face emerges from mysterious shadows of the enveloping mantle. The
sculptural quality of the draperies, their weight and texture and grace
are notable. At the foot of the pedestal rock, man and woman stand -
facing different sides, but their hands are clasped at the back of the
group. The Serpent surrounds all, inevitably suggestive of the story of
Genesis, but symbolic of the waters from which life emerged and the
encircling oneness of the universe.
The Genius of Mechanics
Column Friezes, Machinery Hall
All of the sculpture about the Palace of Machinery partakes
appropriately of the size and strength of that huge building which
houses the world's progress in mechanical arts. The sculpture, like the
building, is Roman rather than Greek in type and modern American in
vigor and expression, as are the chief contents of the Palace. The
sculptor, Haig Patigian of San Francisco, has expressed this combination
with power and virility. The frieze here illustrated appears at the base
of massive columns, interestingly made of simulated Sienna marble, the
warm tones truly reproduced. The frieze is extremely energetic, although
well restrained, and supports the great column as a basic frieze should
do, especially when its subject is so appropriate to the purpose. Two
winged Genii, one holding a pulley, one upholding the column upon his
hands, alternate with two Disciples, for whom their extended wings
create a background. One of these is complemented by hammer and anvil,
the other by furnace and tongs. Both share the column's weight on
powerful arms. The imaginary figures show potential strength in repose,
the human figures potent strength in action. The frieze in low relief is
colorful and decorative.
The Powers
Column Finials, Machinery Hall
High upon the mighty columns that surround, relieve and give color to
the immense facades of Machinery Palace, are Haig Patigian's masculine
and trenchant figures "The Four Powers." These are of heroic height, and
create an impression of superhuman size and strength even when raised so
far above the ground. They have a simple robustness that accords well
with their theme. Two of the Powers are abstract, the driving powers of
thought; these are Invention and Imagination. Two are concrete,
representing the mightiest powers of modern mechanics, Steam Power and
Electric Power. Steam Power is forcing the driving arm of an engine;
Electric Power, the world at his feet, handles the lightnings. He wears
the winged cap of Mercury, messenger of the gods, for electricity is the
messenger of modern days. Invention, crowned with the bays of
achievement, holds in his hand a bird-man about to leave the earth;
Imagination, accompanied by the eagle making ready to soar, dreams with
closed eyes.
Pirate Deck-Hand
Niches, North Facade of Palaces
The northern facades of all the palaces along the Marina are beautifully
embellished above the vestibules with an intricate plateresque
decoration, modeled after portals in Old Spain. In the three ornate
statue-niches - in the original probably devoted to saintly images - are
romantic figures by Allen Newman. It is appropriate that these figures
facing the water-front should represent, as they do, the Conquistador
and the Pirate Deck-hand, who once were masters and terrors of the main.
The Conquistador stands in the central canopied niche, the strong line
from his helmet-point down his sword-hilt making a grimly decorative
axis for the whole. The Deck-hand is repeated in the niches on each
side. This ruthless minion of sea adventurers is here pictured beyond
the urchin's dreams. The line of the rope he carries is a touch of
excellently handled decoration. Both these figures are so well
harmonized architecturally and sculpturally to their pedestals and
location that the entire facade should be seen for their proper
appreciation.
From Generation to Generation
Palace of Varied Industries
In the portals on the south side of the group of palaces, facing the
Avenue of Palms, we have again the beauteous old Spanish doorways in
plateresque design, with niches filled with modern sculpture. The portal
of the Palace of Varied Industries, copied from a famous prototype in
the old hospice of Santa Cruz, in Toledo, Spain, was assigned to Ralph
Stackpole. He is a sculptor who delights to honor the laborer and the
craftsman and has supplied the figures for niches and keystone space and
the tympanum and secondary groups in the portal of Varied Industries
with evident affection. He treats the subject of labor with dignity,
according it respect and not sentimentality. In this secondary or
crowning group, a strong young man is taking the burden of labor from
the shoulders of the last generation - an old workman, bowed but still
hale and vigorous. There is a sense of responsibility and earnestness in
the group, but complete confidence and power. It might well have been
feared that these rugged types of American life might ill accord with
the ancient ornate doorway. But the decorative proprieties have been
thoroughly sustained.
The Man with the Pick
Palace of Varied Industries
In the repeated niches following the line of the archway in the portal
of Varied Industries, described in the foregoing page, appears Ralph
Stackpole's "Man With the Pick," a manly tribute to the intelligent,
self-respecting workman who is the basis of our national life. There is
a frank and unaffected realism in the work that attracts by its
uncapitulating sincerity. Its impression of rugged power and
self-respect saves it from becoming merely photographic, and its plastic
feeling is excellent. In this and the preceding group, as also in the
keystone figure and the tympanum, the courageous employment of the
actual commonplace garments of everyday labor instead of idealized
draperies has met success. The tympanum group is called "Varied
Industries." It appreciates the various daily labors of mankind through
which civilization continues and is almost devotional in its expression
- "in the handicraft of their work is their prayer."
The Useful Arts
Frieze Over South Portals
Another artist who appreciates the spirit and enterprise of our own day
and finds inspiration in its humble labors is Mahonri Young. This
feeling appears in much of his work and is notable in the panel of
"Useful Arts," as also in the niche figures that flank it and are really
part of the conception. These appear over the handsome portal arch of
the Liberal Arts Palace. The beautiful grouping of the many figures in
the panel is a delight; the planes of perspective are skillfully
handled, without in the least marring the flat surface requisite in a
mural panel. This panel of "Useful Arts" does honor to skilled labor.
Men and women are shown busy with the spinning-wheel, the anvil, the
forge and other implements of skilled craft. Satisfying figures in the
niches, the Woman with the Distaff and the Man with the Sledge-Hammer,
continue the same idea. Mr. Young's place in art is unique in that he
has won distinguished consideration in three branches - painting,
etching and sculpture. In the Palace of Fine Arts he exhibits twelve
etchings and nine works of sculpture, several of each devoted to the
phases of life expressed in this panel.
Triumph of the Field
Niches West Facade of Palaces
In the western facade of the Palaces of Food Products and Education are
examples of the new tendency in sculpture. These are "The Triumph of the
Field" and "Abundance" by Charles R. Harley, the modernist. He has made
them intricate and teeming with imagery, giving the beholder much food
for study and personal interpretation. These works have been useful in
arousing much artistic discussion. They endeavor to express a mood of
richness, fullness and success and have the effect of laden chariots in
a triumphant pageant. In "The Triumph of the Field," Man sits upon the
skeleton head of a steer, surrounded by a multitude of symbols
indicative of festivals of agricultural success in the past. Some are
pagan, some Christian. Above his head is the wheel of an antique wagon;
he holds crude farm implements of long-past days. In "Abundance," the
companion piece, Nature, a female figure, sits in the prow of a ship,
surrounded by the abundance of land and sea. Her hands are extended;
one, in order to receive greatly; the other, that she may greatly give.
Worship
Altar of Fine Arts Rotunda
This lovely, adoring figure, pure, devoted, appealing, emblematic of Art
Tending the Fires of Inspiration, is placed upon the Altar before the
Palace of Fine Arts and can be seen only from across the waters of the
lagoon. Her perfect self-surrender to her holy task of guarding
inspiration's flame is a sermon and a poem. She is the worshipful spirit
for whose reward the glow of genius is sent. She is an image of the
perfect reverence for an ideal. It is interesting to note that she is by
the same hand that fashioned those rugged laborers on the portals of the
Palace of Varied Industries, that of Ralph Stackpole. The altar of Fine
Arts, separated from the beholder by the whole width of the beautiful
lagoon, set before the great rotunda and surrounded by sculptured
barriers and growing green buttress walls of flowers that quite shut it
off from all access of the passerby, has the effect of a shrine. This
sense of seclusion adds much to the impressiveness of the statue.
The Struggle for the Beautiful
Frieze, Fine Arts Rotunda
A surpassingly beautiful contribution to the Exposition art has been
made by Bruno Louis Zimm in his panels of Greek culture. These lovely
panels in low relief, surely worthy of a permanent medium, are set in
the attic of the Rotunda or Belvedere before the Palace of Fine Arts,
used and known as the Temple of Sculpture. The panels express not so
much the historical Greek tradition - though they are, indeed, produced
in the purest Greek manner - as they do the high spirit and ideals of
Greek art, the devoted seeking for divine fire, the determined
opposition to the trivial and the base. Each of the panels is once
repeated. The panel of "The Triumph of Apollo" shows the fiery god of
Inspiration, Music and the Sun in a procession of worshipers; his
flaming wings are the rays of the sun. The panel of "The Unattainable in
Art" might well be called "The Struggle for the Beautiful." It pictures
the unending struggle with the gross and stupid, both objective and
subjective, that confronts the champion of the beautiful. Art stands
serene, aloof, unassailable in the center of the fray. The panel of
"Pegasus" shows the winged steed of the poets controlled by a true
aspirant, attended by Music, Literature and Art.
Guardian of the Arts
Attic of Fine Arts Rotunda
Two stately "Guardians of the Arts," one male, one female, of godlike
proportions and great dignity, are placed in the attic of the Fine Arts
Rotunda, separating the panels of Greek culture. They are the work of
Ulric H. Ellerhusen, who has shown a keen perception of the structural
necessities involved in these immense details. The Rotunda of Fine Arts,
the temple of Sculpture, is one of the most interesting architectural
features of the Exposition. It is the culminating beauty of the
marvelous colonnade of Fine Arts Palace, its chief distinction. Within
are some of the treasures of the exhibit sculpture. Under the arching
dome are Robert Reid's mural paintings described in a later place. The
Weeping Figures on top of the colonnade itself are also by Mr.
Ellerhusen. They express the humility that ennobles the true artistic
spirit and distinguishes it from the spurious. Instead of the
self-satisfied Triumph or Victory that might be expected to crown this
last of the Exposition palaces, these represent the spirit of Art
weeping at the impossibility of achieving her dreams.
Priestess of Culture
Within the Fine Arts Rotunda
High on the decorative columns that mark the great arches within the
beautiful Rotunda of Fine Arts, stand, repeated, the peaceful, dignified
and serene "Priestess of Culture," by Herbert Adams, an angelic figure,
modeled with the control and calm that fittingly express the mission of
culture upon the earth. Indeed the work of Mr. Adams may be said
generally to be characterized by that probity and intellectual beauty
ministering to the purposes of culture. These figures are harmonious
ornaments to the richly decorated ceiling which they touch and to which
they give a certain tranquillity. The slope of their wings connects
gracefully with that of the arches; this, with the quiet beauty of the
drapery and its accord with the line of the cornucopia, creates a
restful architectural effect. It is a pleasant coincidence that these
Priestesses of Culture look down upon the statue of William Cullen
Bryant by the same sculptor, an exhibit piece, charmingly installed at
the entrance to the great Rotunda.
Frieze
Flower Boxes, Fine Arts Colonnade
The very large flower boxes bearing masses of luxuriant California
shrubs that mark the Peristyle Walk in the Fine Arts Colonnade are
constantly admired for their own beauty, the beauty of their contents
and their part in the general effectiveness of the delightful Colonnade
they enrich. The friezes are by Ulric H. Ellerhusen, who made also the
Weeping Figures and the heroic "Guardians of Arts" already described. It
is interesting to note that the precision of handling has given this
design, in spite of its size, an exquisite delicacy. Standing at
charmingly balanced intervals, a circle of maidens bear a heavy
rope-garland. This rope makes a gratifying line that has given pleasure
to connoisseurs. The frieze is so successful largely because, though
frankly decorative as suits its purpose, its personality and charm
distinguish it from the pattern-like or conventional. The landscape
planting in the boxes, in the flower beds and above, is one of the
enduring attractions of this colonnade and walk. The green is
architecturally massed and the relief of flowers bright and delicate,
never intrusive.
The Pioneer Mother
Exhibit, Fine Arts Colonnade
The "Pioneer Mother" monument, by Charles Grafly, is a permanent bronze,
a tribute by the people of the West to the women who laid the foundation
of their welfare. It is to stand in the San Francisco Civic Center,
where its masterful simplicity will be more impressive than in this
colorful colonnade. It is a true addition to noteworthy American works
of art and fully expresses the spirit of this courageous motherhood,
tender but strong, adventurous but womanly, enduring but not humble. It
has escaped every pitfall of mawkishness, stubbornly refused to descend
to mere prettiness, and lived up to the noblest possibilities of its
theme. The strong guiding hands, the firmly set feet, the clear, broad
brow of the Mother and the uncompromisingly simple, sculpturally pure
lines of figure and garments are honest and commanding in beauty. The
children, too, are modeled with affectionate sincerity and are a
realistic interpretation of childish charm. Oxen skulls, pine cones,
leaves and cacti decorate the base; the panels show the old sailing
vessel, the Golden Gate and the trans-continental trails. The
inscription by Benjamin Ide Wheeler perfectly expresses what the
sculptor has portrayed.
Lafayette
Exhibit, Fine Arts Rotunda
Paul Wayland Bartlett's "Lafayette," of which this is a plaster copy,
should be known and honored by every loyal American. It is considered by
many the most successful equestrian statue of modern times and it was
the gift of the school children of America to the Republic of France.
The original bronze stands in the Court of the Louvre, the most coveted
location in Paris. The position of honor among the sculpture exhibits
accorded to this copy, as the central piece in the Temple of Sculpture,
gives the impressive beauty of the "Lafayette" the distinction it
deserves. Seen at a little distance, with the background of the lagoon,
the superb bearing of both horse and rider get their full effect. This
interpretation of Lafayette, commanding, heroic, graceful,
unselfconscious, his Gallic dash and fire evident but restrained by
military and aristocratic control, is stirring and convincing. The
upheld sword is a touch of fine artistry. Mr. Bartlett was Chairman for
Sculpture of the Exposition Jury of Fine Arts. He has just completed the
pedestal heads for the House wing of the Capitol at Washington. His
"Dying Lion," exhibited in plaster copy in the Fine Arts garden, has
been coupled by critics with the "Wounded Lion" of Rodin.
Thomas Jefferson
Exhibit, Fine Arts Rotunda
All the work of the late Karl Bitter bears a peculiar appeal at this
time, since he was Chief of Sculpture of the Exposition, was so close
personally to many of the men who made its beauty, was so valuable an
influence to the art of our nation and left so ennobling a memory as man
and as artist. His sustained, faithful and enduring works are well
represented in the exhibit galleries by his "Signing of the Louisiana
Purchase Treaty," made for the St. Louis Exposition and loaned by that
city; his Tappan Memorial from the University of Michigan; his
Rockefeller Fountain, and the appealing "Faded Flowers." A medal of
honor was awarded to him. Thomas Jefferson was always a sympathetic
study to Karl Bitter, who has interpreted that statesman, scholar and
patriot in his several capacities. The original of the present statue
was made for the University of Virginia; Jefferson said he preferred to
be remembered as founder of that institution rather than as President of
the United States. He is here represented in a moment of meditative
leisure.
Lincoln
Exhibit, South Approach
Two noble Lincolns by the great Augustus Saint-Gaudens do honor to the
city of Chicago and are distinguished by the titles "The Standing
Lincoln" and "The Seated Lincoln." Both have the homely beauty,
greatness and dignity of character that are essential to the presentment
of this national inspiration. "The Seated Lincoln" here shown is the
original bronze, not a replica. It was loaned, under the protection of
heavy insurance, to the Fine Arts Department, and will soon be installed
in a Chicago park. It is the property of the Lincoln Memorial Fund, a
foundation of $100,000 left by the late John Crerar to commemorate
Abraham Lincoln in Chicago. Saint-Gaudens, having made "The Standing
Lincoln" with such success, was given the opportunity for a new
presentation of this great theme. "The Seated Lincoln" has a
soul-stirring expression of figure and countenance; the crumpled shirt,
the square-toed shoes, the well-known shawl draped upon the chair, are
not more real than the simple greatness of soul that somehow expresses
itself throughout.
Earle Dodge Memorial
Exhibit, Fine Arts Rotunda
The "Princeton Student" made by Daniel Chester French as the Earle Dodge
Memorial, is lent to the Exposition by the trustees of Princeton
University. It is this master's expression of the type of young manhood
that makes for the winning of respect and enthusiastic friendship and
worthy leadership in our modern college life. Full of energy and spirit,
the youth steps forward, physically rugged, of athletic prowess and
sportsmanly character, intelligent, frank, clearbrowed, fearless and
straightforward of gaze, bearing his books with care and ease and draped
with the academic gown, symbol of scholastic achievement. To give this
figure of young manhood the solemnity of a memorial and still keep it
true to the hearty and cheerful vigor it depicts was a notable
achievement. The setting in one of the arches of the Rotunda, with the
lagoon and the landscape-planting in the background, is admirable. Two
great universities have in recent years been graced by Mr. French's
work; his "Alma Mater" on the great stairway of the Columbia University
Library is one of the art treasures of New York City.
Fountain
Foyer, Palace of Fine Arts
This fountain, by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, who made the Fountain of
El Dorado for the Exposition, is strikingly different from that work in
treatment and character, showing a notable versatility and
responsiveness to change in motif. As that was poetically symbolic, this
is a massive direct work in a more virile and vigorous manner. It shows
three well-modeled nudes supporting a bowl heavy with richly laden
vines. Its installation in the center of the entrance hall of the Fine
Arts Palace is in itself a work of art. The white marble fountain - for
this is the original work, loaned by the artist - is cleverly contrasted
with vivid green water plants in the bowl; just enough of them and
tastefully placed. And in the rim small trees are set, of well-chosen
verdure, shape and size. The fountain was awarded a bronze medal.
Wildflower
Garden Exhibit, Colonnade
One of the most varied and interesting talents among the younger men of
distinction who have exhibited in the Department of Fine Arts is that of
Edward Berge of Baltimore. The entire originality and freedom from
mannerism with which each subject is met, and the variety of the
subjects themselves, are worthy of note, as are also Mr. Berge's
singular lightness and fluidity of method. His correctness is apparently
unlabored. No small piece has more admirers than this sweet and merry
little "Wildflower." A secret of her appeal may lie in the fact that the
artist is the father of the model. The little girl, crowned with a
wildflower, posed with the pertness of a wayside blossom, her hands
extended like pointed leaves, has a roguishness and playful grace that
charm. With something of the same humorous whimsy Mr. Berge exhibits a
Sundial showing a nude baby, buxom and cuddlesome, embracing a new doll
while the old one lies discarded, illustrating the legend, "There is no
Time like the Present."
The Boy with the Fish
Garden Exhibit, Colonnade
Bela Lyon Pratt, widely esteemed for his vital and imposing serious
works, of which a splendid collection here exhibited has been awarded a
gold medal, has amused himself and all of us with this jolly little
garden piece, "The Boy With the Fish." It is a unique bronze, never to
be reproduced or copied. Though hundreds of persons have wished to
purchase replicas, no one can ever do so, for the owner stipulated with
the sculptor never to allow reproduction. The moulds have been
destroyed. But no one can stop the joyous memory in many minds of this
spirited little elf, riding a turtle, struggling with his slippery fish
and having so much fun about the difficult feat. One of Mr. Pratt's more
serious works that is attracting the deserved attention of Exposition
visitors is "The Whaleman," a detail of his noble Whaleman's Memorial.
This sculptor has done much to encourage individuality and earnestness
among the younger men, not only by example but also in his capacity of
instructor in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
Young Diana
Garden Exhibit, Colonnade
Janet Scudder, an American artist whose work has been as highly honored
in France as in her native land, is known chiefly for her poetic and
happy expressions of the out-of-door spirit. Her fountains and garden
pieces are small and sportive but intensely sincere and never trivial.
She has a pagan sense of natural imagery and a deep feeling for
childhood. Her finish is delicate and perfect. The "Young Diana," here
illustrated, girlish, with singularly natural untrammeled grace -
slender, beautiful and novel in conception - was awarded honorable
mention in the Paris Salon of 1911. The young goddess of the chase, the
moon and of maidens, is presented as still more of a maid than a
goddess, glad with the freedom of girlhood, unconscious of her Olympian
inheritance. Miss Scudder has received the distinction of having one of
her fountains purchased by the Metropolitan Museum in New York. This is
the Frog Fountain which, loaned by that Museum, appears in the Palace of
Fine Arts. Her "Little Lady of the Sea," also here exhibited, received
notable consideration in the Paris Salon of 1913. She is the holder of a
silver medal awarded by the present Exposition.
Young Pan
Garden Exhibit, Colonnade
One of the charms of the Exposition lies in the fact that the long
rainless summer and beautiful plant-life of California permit the garden
pieces to be displayed out of doors in the setting desired for them by
their sculptors. This little Pan of Janet Scudder's, for instance, is
far happier in his appropriate mass of foliage than if he were inside of
a gallery. "Young Pan," a garden figure, is witty, elfin, very engaging.
He is a seaside Pan instead of the woodland dweller usually portrayed.
His foot is - rather recklessly one would think, were this not a
magical, superhuman being - placed heel-down upon the back of a great
crab. A pretty pedestal base, with sea-shell decoration, supports the
baby god. This base, by the way, Miss Scudder attributes as the work of
Laurence Grant White. Pan is enjoying the music of the two long pipes he
blows-playing one of the unplaced wild lilts of nature, we may be sure.
This sense of enjoyment and his debonair little swagger are festive and
delightful. His mischievous gaiety communicates itself to the beholder.
This humorous quality appears in another merry little god by the same
sculptor, her "Flying Cupid," close at hand.
Fighting Boys
Garden Exhibit, Colonnade
Another evidence of the charm of outdoor installation is seen in Miss
Scudder's Fountain of the Fighting Boys, so beautifully placed, with the
waters in actual play, in the Peristyle Walk about the Fine Arts Palace.
The original of this little fountain is owned by the Art Institute of
Chicago. There can be no doubt that this fight is without rancor; the
faces of the cherubic contestants are so gay and good-natured that only
the determined little tug of the hair, the business-like pressure of
chubby knee upon knee, the uncertain possession of the big fish that is
the cause of contention, makes us see that a battle is raging. The boys
fight merrily, evidently enjoying both the contest and the downpour of
water that complicates it. An unexpected accidental beauty has been
added to this and all the Exposition fountains. Some colorful substance
in the water that plays upon them has given soft touches of the same
rich ochre tone that appears in the columns. This increases the
effectiveness and takes away the appearance of boldness or newness,
substituting a weather-beaten and permanent aspect. When long spires of
flowers are in bloom and reflect their beauty in this little fountain
pool, the gayety and loveliness of the spot are entrancing.
Duck Baby
Garden Exhibit, Colonnade
The contagious mirth of "The Duck Baby," a garden figure by Edith
Barretto Parsons, is irresistible. This plump little image of good cheer
conquers the most serious; every observer breaks into answering chuckles
as this smile-compelling small person, holding fast her victims, beams
upon them. The frieze of busy ducklings on the pedestal base adds to the
amusing impression. This figure makes such a universal appeal that
thousands of postal card pictures and amateur photographs by exposition
visitors have been sent in a steady stream throughout the land,
scattering the Duck Baby's good cheer far and wide ever since the
Exposition opened. In the presence of so much that is weighty and
powerful, this popularity of the "Duck Baby" is significant and touching
indication of the world's hunger for what is cheerful and mirth
provoking. Another well-liked and winsome work with a chubby baby figure
at its center is "The Bird Bath" by Caroline Risque, in which a lovable
baby, with an expression of the tenderest sympathy, holds a little bird
to his breast.
Muse Finding the Head of Orpheus
Garden Exhibit, Colonnade
Under the branches of a low tree the poetic group by Edward Berge, "Muse
Finding the Head of Orpheus," a white marble group of superior elegance
and texture, arrests the passerby. A Muse kneels, drooping in exquisite
pathos over the head of Orpheus found in the waves. The sculptor has
chosen the tragic side of the Orphean myth. The son of Apollo and the
Muse Calliope, whose heaven-taught lyre charmed men and beasts, melted
rocks and even opened the gates of Erebus, had failed to win from death
his bride, Eurydice, lost to him for the second time. As he wandered
disconsolate, the Thracian bacchantes wooed him in vain. Maddened by
failure and by their bacchanal revels, they called upon Bacchus to
avenge, and hurled a javelin upon him. But the music charmed the weapon,
until the wild women drowned it with their cries. Then they dismembered
the singer and threw him to the waves; but the very fragments were
melodious and reached the Muses, who buried them where the nightingale
still sings "Eurydice." So runs the allegory; even drowned by earthly
clamors, slain and torn by wanton hands, the song of Poetry continues,
the weeping Muses save.
Diana
Garden Exhibit, South Lagoon
In a setting of surpassing appropriateness and beauty, installed high
amid the tall shrubbery as if emerging from the edge of one of her own
forests, the huntress Diana points the arrow she is about to let fly.
This rendering by Haig Patigian, who made the heroic Powers and other
decorations on Machinery Hall, is simple, classic, pure, imaginative,
poetic in purpose and in effect. He has softened the traditional
coldness of the goddess by a warmer humanity without injuring the sense
of proud aloofness. The Maiden goddess of the Hunt bears in her hand the
crescent bow, its lines here strongly suggestive of those of the young
moon, of which it is the symbol and this goddess the deity. Mr. Patigian
exhibits in the Colonnade a companion piece, "Apollo, the Sun God," twin
brother of Diana. A vivid figure of manly grace, Apollo is presented in
the guise of the sun of the morning. He kneels and shoots an arrow
upward; the long, pleasing curve of his bow suggests the outline of the
sun above the horizon as Apollo releases his first bright shaft of
light.
Eurydice
Garden Exhibit, Colonnade
This "Eurydice," by Furio Piccirilli, pictures the nymph as standing
against the background of an echoing rock, listening to the distant
strains of the magic lyre of her lover, Orpheus. Orpheus had been taught
to play by Apollo, his father, and could enchant the animate and
inanimate world by his music. So he charmed the nymph, Eurydice; but
Hymen, god of marriage, refused to prophesy happiness at their nuptials
and soon Eurydice, in escaping from a pursuer, trod upon a snake, was
bitten and died. Orpheus' sorrowful music moved all the earth to pity.
Even Pluto and the keepers of Erebus relented, allowed the musician to
descend into their forbidden realm and lead Eurydice back to life,
provided he should not turn backward to gaze upon her until they reached
the world of mortals. But the lover could not resist the desire to
assure himself of her presence, looked, and lost her forever. Furio
Piccirilli, who made this marble, is the sculptor who has graced the
Exposition with the four Fountains of the Seasons in the Court of that
name. For this "Eurydice" and his other small group, "Mother and Child,"
he has taken a silver medal.
Wood Nymph
Garden Exhibit, Colonnade
Isadore Konti, from whose hand came also the inspiring, panels at the
base of the Column of Progress, described in a preceding page, is the
sculptor of this pretty "Hamadryad." The Dryads and Hamadryads lived,
according to old legend, within the trunks of trees and perished with
their homes. So it was an impious act to destroy a tree without cause.
This nymph of the woods has emerged from the tree-trunk home or from
some rocky fastness and taken the urn of a naiad, a sister nymph of
brook and fountain, to give drink to the gentle, confident fawn that is
her charge. The little animal is lapping the stream that flows from the
overturned vase. This study in white marble follows tradition and is
regarded chiefly for its gentle grace and careful tooling. It is
harmoniously composed and has a beautiful surface. Mr. Konti's varying
moods are, represented in the Fine Arts collection by a number of works,
each revealing a different intention - from the pretty and restful, like
this, to the large and stirring.
L'Amour
Garden Exhibit, Colonnade
There are few more complete examples of delicacy of feeling and of
refined, caressing perfection of tooling than this exquisite marble
group, "L'Amour," by Evelyn Beatrice Longman. The purity of its emotion,
the tenderness and fidelity of its poignant pose, are surpassed only by
the marvel of surface finish. The surface has been gone over so
lovingly, so painstakingly, so repeatedly that the marble has taken on
the soft, warm impression of living flesh. And the gentle unstrained
modeling has the plastic grace of the human body. Miss Longman, winner,
by the way, of a silver medal for exhibits in the Fine Arts, is the
maker of the Fountain of Ceres in the Forecourt of Seasons that has been
described. She is an earnest and serious artist of abundant talent whose
work is treated with ever-increasing respect and admiration. She won the
competition for the doors of the Naval Academy at Annapolis, for which
there were many distinguished aspirants. She presents Love in the group
under discussion as a rarefied and inspiring emotion in which the
physical and spiritual commingle and "sense helps soul" as well as "soul
helps sense."
An Outcast
Garden Exhibit, Colonnade
This epic figure, "An Outcast," compelling by its earnestness and the
tragedy of its motive idea, is handled with firmness, assurance and a
perfect sense of volume and sculptural mass values. It is exhibited by
Attilio Piccirilli, the artist who designed the Maine Memorial in New
York City. The appeal of "An Outcast" is too direct to need any
illumination. Its frank bigness and physical power and tenseness, so
suggestive and so desperate, are Rodinesque. But though the work is
influenced by that master's school and thought, it is by no means a copy
of his method. This sculptor has a number of interesting groups in the
exhibit palaces and has been granted a gold medal. The dejected and
desolate Outcast, so huge and so tragic, is in sharp contrast with the
quaint and fanciful "Fawn's Toilet," by the same hand, at the entrance
to the Colonnade. Attilio and Furio Piccirilli, whose work has been here
noticed, are brothers, members of a family of sculptors.
The Sower
Garden Exhibit, Colonnade
One of the most useful services of a great Exposition, especially as it
relates to the world of art, is its service in bringing to the attention
of the public the power of new and rising stars on the horizon of
achievement. Albin Polasek has made his work generally felt at this
Exposition, where he received a silver medal. He is one of the most
talented sculptors of the American Academy at Rome. He won honorable
mention in the Paris Salon in 1913, and the Prix de Rome in 1910. He was
the holder of the Cresson scholarship. His "Sower" was the culminating
work of his early labors, the product of his final year at Rome, in
which year a heroic figure is required of every student. It caused the
critics to prophesy for this sculptor the future that is developing. Mr.
Polasek's work has the same unassailable rigor of truth as that of
Charles Grafly, who was his teacher. "The Sower" ennobles an humble
theme. It has sweep and life and distinction of bearing. In "The Girl of
the Roman Compagna," close at hand in this Colonnade, the sculptor shows
his equal power in a softer theme. The Roman girl is a well-poised and
beautiful expression of the spirit of old Rome in the days of her grand
simplicity.
The Bison
Garden Exhibit, South Approach
These mighty monarchs of the plains, now disinherited by human progress,
the American bisons, are here more than portrayed; they are realized.
Their essential characteristics, their strong mass, bulky without
clumsiness, are made present and convincing in these two statues by A.
Phimister Proctor, a master of animal sculpture. There is good reason
for the living and sharp aspect of these plaster models. They are not
copies of the permanent statues; they are the sculptor's own original
plasters from which the permanent pieces were cast. A number of Mr.
Proctor's animal studies stand in the great zoological parks of our
nation. He does not idealize or humanize the beasts he depicts; but he
understands them and reverses the underlying life that gives them their
racial and personal individuality. Partly his Canadian love of the wild,
partly a technician's delight in mastering this difficult phase of art,
has caused a lifelong devotion to animal studies. They are not
photographic, but combine the qualities of sculptural beauty with rugged
and imposing freedom. A varied and stimulating collection of Mr.
Proctor's work, exhibited at the Exposition, has won a gold medal. It
includes the famous "Princeton Tiger."
The Scout
Garden Exhibit, South Lagoon
Cyrus Edwin Dallin has devoted many years and much of his high talent to
the poetry and beauty of the American Indian. He says that this Scout is
to be the last of his long series of Indian studies, and he believes it
to be the best of them all. Surely it has an exalted beauty and is a
noble example of Mr. Dallin's firm, finished, accurate method,
perfection of restraint and free grace of modeling. It has a clear and
beautiful directness that is almost Greek in feeling. Those who do not
believe in the picturesqueness and dignity of the Indian as celebrated
in these bronzes, need only to have seen the photographs in the exhibit
of the Indian Memorial booth in the Palace of Education. Some of the
chiefs there shown have the dignity of Caesar and the knightly splendor
of heroic periods. Copies of almost all the Dallin Indians and other of
his notable works appear in the Palace of Fine Arts, where Mr. Dallin is
a gold medalist; They include the famous "Appeal to the Great Spirit,"
which stands before the Boston Museum of Art.
The Thinker
Exhibit, Court of French Pavilion
It is a satisfaction that at the entrance to the Pavilion of France
should stand this great work of the master sculptor of our age. This is
a replica of "Le Penseur" (The Thinker), placed before the doors of the
Pantheon in Paris. Paul Gsell says of it: "Before us, the Thinker, his
fist beneath his chin, his toes clutching the rock upon which he sits,
bends his back beneath the overpowering weight of a meditation that
surpasses the endurance of the human spirit." Here, tremendous, rugged,
primitive human strength at its highest power suffers under the first
great grapple of the human mind with problems of the unknowable
universe. It is majestic, true, an expression of our age; it is
everlasting art. Rodin kept this replica outdoors for a long time,
thinking the rigor of the elements helpful to its finish. "The Thinker"
and other Rodins in the French Pavilion are loaned by Mrs. A. B.
Spreckels of San Francisco. Americans and American museums have long
appreciated this master of whom Octave Mirbeau says: "Not only is he the
highest and most glorious artistic conscience of our time, but his name
burns henceforth like a luminous date in the history of art."
Earth
Fruit Pickers, Court of Ages
In the corners of the ambulatory about the Court of Ages, crystallizing
the color and design of its long, arched ceiling, are the opulent, warm,
vibrant murals by Frank Brangwyn. They introduce to the general public
of America this Belgian-English artist who has long been esteemed among
the great of the world. He has presented here the Elements, two
interpretations of each, in relation to their service to simple human
life. The paintings are neither allegorical nor photographic, but highly
interpretative of the luxuriant picturesqueness of nature and the
everyday labors of man. The luminosity of color, dash and daring of
contrast, fairly crackle with life and yet have rich depths of
quietness. The two panels of Earth glow with the earth's abundance. The
first, the "Fruit Pickers," here shown, in which harvesters gather
fruits from high trees and the laden ground, is notable for its
marvelous massing of composition and color. The second, "Dancing the
Grapes," is remarkable for its shimmering contrasts of light and shade.
In both you get the tang of the harvest season.
Fire
Industrial Fire, Court of Ages
The two Fire panels represent this element in its two phases of
serviceability. The first shows its simplest use, that of giving warmth
to man; the second, its more developed employment as an agent of
manufacture. In the "Primitive Fire," a gray, woodsy plume of smoke
rises to the autumn sky. A group of workers have made a fire at the edge
of a grove; they surround it, some encouraging the growing blaze by
blowing upon it, others leaning forward toward its warmth. The thin
pillar of waving smoke is executed with such fidelity that it explains
why this artist's admirers dwell upon his handling of fugitive surface
tones, as smoke or clouds, as much as upon his more obvious excellences.
In "Industrial Fire," here reproduced, the smoke rises not in fine line,
but in heavy mass from a kiln. It is a rich cloud, colorful with
iridescent metallic lustres. Workers feed the blaze, their warm flesh
glowing in the mixed light. Whole vessels and broken bits of pottery are
heaped and scattered upon the ground.
Water
Fountain Motive, Court of Ages
As the Earth panels are luxuriant, teeming with a sense of plentitude,
and the Fire panels are moving with the grace of rising smoke, those
that represent the phases of Water are moist and lush. In the one here
shown, "The Fountain," people have come through the damp grasses,
bearing their bright vessels to fill them with water that flows downward
from a spring in a long, fine, curving bow. The beautiful grouping, the
pose of the figures and the graceful lines of the vessels are
unforgettable. The air is fluid; great white clouds stretch across the
sky, which has the same liquid beauty as the water in the background.
Water-birds and dewy flowers add life and color. The grateful use of
water for man's thirst is beautifully told. In the other water panel,
"The Net," hardy fishermen, standing in the water-reeds and blossoming
flag-lilies, haul in the last catch of the brightly dying day. Others
bear on their heads baskets heavy with the success of earlier castings.
Heavy sea-clouds are tinted by the late afternoon sunshine.
Air
The Windmill, Court of Ages
The two panels of Air may well be thought of as the air that moves and
the air that supports. In the first, "The Windmill," which is
illustrated, the motion of the wind and of the world it blows is
dazzling. The field of, golden grain, bright in the glow of the sun that
has just broken through the rain clouds, is quivering with graceful
undulations. The great wings of the windmill turn, with flapping sails.
The little kites are blown tempestuously. The garments of the workers
wave forward as they walk, braced against the wind that blows from
behind them. A brilliant rainbow and wind-blown dark rain-clouds tell
the end of a passing storm. In the second Air panel, which is called
"The Hunters," the air supports the arrows just shot from the bows of
hunters who hide behind the last trees at the edge of a wood. It bears
also flocks of homing birds and light clouds blown across a ruddy sunset
sky.
Half Dome
Court of the Four Seasons
The murals in the Court of the Four Seasons are the work of Milton
Herbert Bancroft. They are smooth, flat, highly decorative to the wall
surfaces into which they blend with rare discretion and harmony. They
have a soft beauty of coloring and a classic definiteness of outline
that accord well with the pure feeling of this court. Mr. Bancroft has
kept two ideas consistently throughout these murals. One is the
abundance of rewards and delights brought by the changing seasons; the
other, the fruitful labors of man. In this second idea special honor is
tendered to those who labor in the arts and artistic crafts. To these
two ideals the sculptor has given the unifying title, "The Pleasures and
Work of the Seasons." The panels of The Seasons appear in the walls of
the fountain niches. In the place of honor is the beautiful Half Dome;
beneath its colorful decorated roof are the great, panels, "Man
Receiving Instruction in Nature's Laws" and "Art Crowned by Time." In
the former, Nature holds her child, Man, in her arms. She has summoned
for him all the forces of the Universe, who attend in a group of calm
dignity. She teaches him that by obedience to her laws all these forces,
Earth, Fire, Water, Life, and even Death, will serve and never harm. The
other panel is described on the following page.
Art Crowned by Time
Court of the Four Seasons
In this calm and classic panel, "Art Crowned by Time," the sculptor has
done honor not only to the Fine Arts but also to those artistic crafts
that fulfill the perfect combination of use and beauty. In the center of
the panel stands Art, a superb, regal figure, serenely indifferent to
the wreath of appreciation with which she is being crowned by the hand
of Time. She is surrounded by her attendants, the Useful Crafts:
Weaving, with her distaff; Glasswork, holding carefully a delicate
example of her skill; Jewelry, a beautiful youth severely garbed,
bearing an ornate casket; Pottery, with a finished vase upon her knee;
Smithery, carrying in his strong arm a piece of armor; and Printing,
cherishing in both hands a beautiful clasped book. The panel has a fine
Olympian dignity and an ornateness that becomes simplicity through grace
of handling, and does not mar the correct mural flatness of surface. In
spite of the gracefully composed grouping each figure has individual,
almost statuesque, distinction. The treatment of the draperies is
interesting.
The Seasons
Court of the Four Seasons
The fountain niches of the Seasons in the Court of the Four Seasons are
graced by Milton Herbert Bancroft's appropriate panels. Two of these,
one on each wall of the fountain niche, are devoted to each season. One
represents the pleasures that that period of the year brings forth for
man; the other shows the duties it demands of him. In "Spring," we have
the poet's conception of the time of blossoms and garlands, of young
loves, piping shepherds and dancing maidens, while the goddess of the
season dreams of coming glories. In the companion panel, "Seedtime," the
waiting farmers attend her as she stands, sceptered with an Easter lily,
and extends her benison on the land. "Summer" crowns the victors in
athletic sports; while in "Fruition" the goddess of the season receives
the tribute of the successful workers of the soil. The panel called
"Autumn" is gay with the dance of the vineyard festival; three happy
figures modeled with grace and much refinement are placed on a
background divided into panels by a vine. But "Harvest" is quiet and
serious; the goddess, bearing the torch of Indian Summer, receives the
sheaves of the gleaners. So in "Winter," one panel shows Festivity, with
the old bard, the Christmas garland and the gaieties of the home; the
other, the distaff by the fireside, the huntsman and the wood-cutter.
Westward March of Civilization
Arch, Nations of the West
Decorating the inner walls of the Arch of the Setting Sun are two long,
colorful panels by Frank Vincent Du Mond, inspired by the historical
background of the West. They have refreshing vividness of color, clear
precision of draughtsmanship and a bright enthusiasm for their subject.
With a narrative quality unusual in a mural they commemorate the
adventurous spirit that led a stable civilization in the march across
the continent of America. In the panel, "Leaving the East," emigrants
depart from a barren, snowy coast, upon which stands the meeting-house,
source of so many national traditions. A youth bids farewell to his
sorrowing friends; a group of adventurers bearing the bare necessities
of life leads the way to the frontier. In the central group, surrounding
the old Concord wagon laden with household goods, appear the Jurist,
Preacher, Schoolmistress, the Child - Symbol of the Home - the Plains'
Driver and the Trapper. A symbolic figure, "The Call of Fortune,"
accompanies them. Some of the characters are actual portraits, as are
also the Artist, Writer, Scholar, Architect and Sculptor in the opposite
panel, "The Arrival in the West." In this the lavishness and opulence of
California welcome the pioneers. Mr. Du Mond is a member of the
International Jury of Awards in the Fine Arts Department of the
Exposition.
Discovery - The Purchase
Tower of Jewels
The murals in the great tower are properly dedicated to the Panama
Canal. In them William de Leftwich Dodge admirably interprets its
history, labors and triumphant achievement. Each of the long decorative
bands is divided into three panels. The central panels, 96 feet long,
are, on the west wall, "The Atlantic and the Pacific," celebrating the
united nations face to face across the united waters, and on the east,
"The Gateway of All Nations," an allegorical pageant of triumph. The
"Gateway of All nations" is flanked by "Achievement" and "Labor
Crowned," noble and timely tributes to the Workers who made the canal.
Those here reproduced, opposing them on the western wall, are historic.
"Discovery" shows Balboa, "on a peak in Darien," in awe at his great
moment of discovering the Pacific. The Spirit of Adventurous Fortune
attends him. Watching him, sits the Indian guarding his treasures, a
tragic prophecy in face and figure. "The Purchase" commemorates the part
of France in this achievement. Columbia is purchasing the title from her
sister republic. American workmen, led by Enterprise, take up the tools
that French laborers have relinquished.
Ideals of Emigration
Arch, Nations of the East
The mural panels in the Eastern arch are devoted to the ideals and
motives that brought men across the sea. They are by Edward Simmons and
show that fresh juvenility of touch, that exquisite lucid tenderness of
color and gentle lightness of motion that give his work its delightful
poetic quality. But Mr. Simmons' art has always a deep accent and the
imagery in these panels touches fundamentals. "Visions of Exploration,"
the upper as here pictured, are Hope and Illusory Hope - she who casts
bubbles behind her - Adventure, following the lure of the bubbles; then,
in a dignified central group, Commerce, Imagination, Fine Arts and
Religion; these, followed at a little distance by Wealth and The Family,
potent motives of the immigrant of today. In the background, the Taj
Mahal and a modern city indicate the ideal and the practical. On the
opposite panel, called the "Lure of the Atlantic," the Call of the New
World, a youth blowing a trumpet, summons the brave explorers, the man
of Atlantis, of the Classic Age, of Northern and Southern Europe, the
Missionary Priest, the Artist and the Modern Immigrant. They are
followed by the Veiled Future, still hearkening to the onward call.
The Golden Wheat
Rotunda, Palace of Fine Arts
The richly ornate ceiling of the Rotunda of Fine Arts is embellished by
a double series of eight panels from the brush of Robert Reid, in the
luminous, fervid, joyous vein that characterizes the method of this
highly honored American artist. The task assigned him here was a test of
skill. The arched effect, so beautifully achieved, and the great
accomplishment of merging the huge, brilliant panels into the decorative
plan, were not the only difficulties. He had also to calculate the scale
of proportion to a mathematical nicety, to make the figures large enough
to appear the proper size when viewed so high overhead. The panels are
in two sequences, four of them devoted to each subject. The sequence of
which an example is illustrated is the Four Golds of California: "The
Golden Poppy," the "cup of gold" that makes the spring a glory on
California hills; "The Golden Fruit," the citrus fruits that are her
pride; "The Golden Metal" that called the world to her hill-sides, and
"The Golden Wheat," here shown, the treasure of her fields, borne high
in honor. These alternate with the sequence of the Golden Arts,
described on the succeeding page.
Oriental Art
Rotunda, Palace of Fine Arts
The great panels of the Golden Arts alternate, in the ceiling of the
Rotunda of Fine Arts, with the Four Golds of California. All of these
panels so tone their brilliancy into the great sweep of the ceiling that
the beholder gets a sense of the beauty of the whole rather than that of
any part. This arching, floating unity of the ceiling is an admirable
example of the self-control of the muralist. The Golden Arts are
interpreted by symbolic groups including a larger number of figures than
The Four Golds. They are entitled "Inspirations of All Art," "Ideals in
Art," "The Birth of European Art," and "Oriental Art," here illustrated
as typical. In this, against the soft but sparkling background of bright
sky and clouds that supports all of the panels, are set with much verve
the historical, legendary and romantic inspirations of Oriental art. The
group is dominated by a contest between an eagle and a knight mounted
upon a dragon - based upon a legend of the Ming dynasty. Fugi, the
sacred mountain, is in the distance; the sacred dog attends the Chinese
hero in the foreground. A beautiful Japanese woman - indicating the
inspiration of romance, East and West - sits among flowers. The space is
filled in a manner appropriately and charmingly suggestive of Oriental
composition.
The Arts of Peace
Netherlands Pavilion
The Pavilion of The Netherlands is inevitably reminiscent of the Peace
Palace of The Hague, by natural association of ideas and because of the
spirit of its central mural painting, "The Arts of Peace." It is
therefore an interesting fact that Hermann Rosse, the artist who painted
this imposing work, and, indeed, designed the entire interior decoration
of the pavilion, was also muralist and decorator of the Palace of Peace.
The pavilion walls and hangings - steel blue, olive green and silver
grey, relieved by quaint conventional stencils of orange trees and
tulips and severe shields of the four divisions of the kingdom - has a
broad, cool puritanism that lends itself well to the rich depth of the
painting. Holland holds high the image of Peace, surrounded by the
peace-nurtured arts and industries on whose support all human welfare
rests. Among them stand not only representatives of trades and crafts,
with their symbols and implements, but also the Art of Motherhood and
the Art of Play shown by a happy child. Ships of all ages in side-panels
and background tell of the maritime history of Holland which so largely
and peacefully colonized the world. Beneath the painting is a comforting
and inspiring legend.
Penn's Treaty with the Indians
Pennsylvania Building
The Pennsylvania Building was designed with the patriotic purpose of
enshrining the Liberty Bell. The Bell stands in a loggia between two
wings, the architectural motif following that of Independence Hall. On
the walls of the loggia are two mural lunettes of distinction by Edward
Trumbull of Pittsburg. Their deep glowing color and massive grouping
mark Mr. Trumbull a worthy pupil of his master, Frank Brangwyn. "Penn's
Treaty with the Indians," here given, shows William Penn and the
foremost of his shipmates on "The Welcome" making with Chief Tamanend
and his braves the Treaty of Shackamaxon in 1683, the treaty that never
was broken. The plainness of the kindly Friends, the barbaric splendor
of the Indians, the deep green of the overarching Treaty Elm and the
lovely typical Pennsylvania landscape have enduring attraction. The
panel is in contrast with Mr. Trumbull's vigorous and burning modern
picture, "The Steel Workers," on the opposite wall. In the reception
room of this building are seven delightful small panels by Charles J.
Taylor, showing the early life of Pennsylvania villages. They are
painted in the quaint style of old colonial decorations and have charm,
humor, naivete and beauty too pleasing to be overlooked.
Return from the Crusade
Court, Italian Pavilion
The courts and palaces of Italy, with their appearance of age and their
remote, sheltered calm, present an education in artistic reserve and
decorative uses of space that all who linger may learn. They represent
four centuries of architecture, of three historic types. The lovely
piazzetta with its antique well is the center of beauty. On one of its
walls is what appears to be an ancient mural, soft, flat, with that
faded, velvety coloring associated with age. It was recently painted by
Mathilde Festa-Piacentini, in the ancient manner to harmonize with the
court. It represents "The Return from the Crusade" of one noble
Pandolfo, and bears date and description in Latin. Quaint old-time
stiffness and weather-worn coloring combine with modern correctness and
fluency. The young artist is the wife of the architect of the pavilion
and has won a silver medal in the Italian section of Fine Arts. Below
this lunette stands a bronze copy of an antique David with the marble
head of Goliath. Other interesting murals appear in Italy's pavilion, by
Pierretto Banco and Bruno Ferrari, son of the sculptor, Ettore Ferrari.
The Riches of California
Tea Room, California Building
The tea-room of the Auxiliary to the Woman's Board, in the California
Building, was decorated by Florence Lundborg, a Californian whose work
has won consideration in this country and in France. In her large mural,
"The Riches of California," one of the most extensive ever painted by a
woman, and in the supplementary medallions she has expressed the
generous abundance of California's fruitage. Feeling a similarity
between copious California and Sicily, where she has lived and painted,
the artist chose for her text a line from Theocritus describing that
country: All breathes the scent of the opulent summer, the season of
fruits. This inscription, in old Spanish lettering, surrounds the great
canvas. Across a restful, soft-toned landscape, bright but tempered, the
peaceful, happy harvesters bear homeward the plenteous fruit. A mood of
quiet gladness is over all. The window arches, throughout the soft gray
walls of the room, are marked by brilliant medallions of fruit and
flowers, sumptuously composed upon a gold background.
Here ends The Sculpture and Mural Decorations of the Exposition, with an
introduction by A. Stirling Calder. The Descriptive titles have been
written by Stella G. S. Perry. Edited by Paul Elder. Published by Paul
Elder and Company and seen through their Tomoye Press under the
typographical direction of H. A. Funke, in the city of San Francisco
during the month of October, Nineteen Hundred and Fifteen