An Art-Lovers Guide to the Exposition: Explanations of the Architecture, Sculpture and Mural Paintings, With a Guide for Study in the Art GalleryCheney, Sheldon
History
An Art-Lovers Guide to the Exposition: Explanations of the Architecture, Sculpture and Mural Paintings, With a Guide for Study in the Art Gallery
Cheney, Sheldon
Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915 : San Francisco, Calif.)
Fountains of the Seasons. In the niches formed at the corners of the
court by the diagonal colonnades are novel fountains, surmounted by
groups representing the four seasons. It is well to go first to the
southwest corner, to the "Fountain of Spring"; then to the northwest
corner, for "Summer"; and so on around the court. If one is ever puzzled
to understand from the figures which season is represented, a glance at
the labeled murals up above in the corridor will give the proper title
for statue and murals of each season are grouped together.
Spring. A young woman draws a floral garland over her head, while at her
right a love-lorn youth turns a pleading face to her, and at her left a
girl brings armfuls of flowers.
Summer. To a man a woman holds up a babe, symbol of the summer of human
life, while at one side a crouching figure holds a sheaf of full-headed
grain.
Autumn. The central figure is a woman of generous build with a jar on
her shoulder-quite the usual personification of Autumn or
fruitfulness. At one side a young woman holds a garland of grapes, and
at the other is a girl with a babe. This last figure is perhaps the most
graceful in all the four groups, though the same sort of loveliness
distinguishes to a certain extent the two flower-girls of "Spring."
Altogether, this "Autumn" fountain is probably the finest of the four.
Winter. The central figure is Nature, in the nakedness of winter,
resting after the harvests of autumn and waiting for the birth of
spring. At one side a man with a spade rests, while on the other a man
with a seed-bag is already beginning to sow. Although all the figures of
"The Fountains of the Seasons" are nude, there is about this group a
sense of cold nakedness that well accords with the season it portrays.
These four groups are very properly alike in composition and
feeling-suggesting perhaps that the differences between the seasons in
California are but slight. There is throughout a conventional touch, and
all are in pastoral mood. The groups are by Furio Piccirilli.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account