An Art-Lovers Guide to the Exposition: Explanations of the Architecture, Sculpture and Mural Paintings, With a Guide for Study in the Art Gallery — John Shaqi
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.)
The architecture is Renaissance, and is suggestive of the interior
courts of the palaces of the Italian nobles. The colonnade columns are
Ionic. The high attic story or frieze above the colonnade is remarkably
rich, with its orange brown panels garlanded with green and red fruits,
and decorated with Caryatid pilasters. It is worthy of study for the way
in which architect, sculptor and color director have co-operated. The
Italian Towers, terminating the colonnades, are among the finest bits of
architectural design in the whole building group. Though only a fraction
of the height of the Tower of Jewels, they convey much better the
impression of reaching high into the heavens, of aspiration and uplift.
They are more satisfying, too, in their combination of architectural
forms, and they carry out notably well the delicate but luxuriant color
scheme of the court. The unusual repeated pattern which fills the large
wall panels of the towers is worthy of attention.
The architect of the court was George W. Kelham.
Sculpture. The only really important statue in the court is that which
stands at the opening on the Avenue of Palms-called The End of the
Trail. An Indian, bowed at last under the storm, sits astride a dejected
horse utter weariness, discouragement, lost hope, expressed in every
line of man and animal. Some see in the statue only the abject despair
of a horse and rider when the consciousness finally comes that the trail
is definitely lost in the wilderness; and it is notable enough as an
expression of this tragic theme. But others, remembering the history of
the Indian, see here an eloquent and pathetic reminder of a race that
has seemingly come to the end of its trail. As a portrayal of this
racial tragedy the group is even more remarkable than as an expression
of the hopelessness of a lost man and horse.
The statue is hardly in key with its architectural surroundings; but its
comparatively isolated position prevents it from seeming an intrusive
element in the court. Considered alone it is more individual, more
expressive of independent and deep moving thought, than any other
sculpture in the grounds. There is far more of real earnestness here
than is usual in exposition sculpture. The thing is significant, too,
for the native note. It is worthy of serious study as indicating one of
the most important tendencies of American sculpture when not tied to the
purely decorative. The sculptor was James Earl Fraser.
The minor sculptures in this court consist of the Caryatides by John
Bateman and A. Stirling Calder; the spandrels, by Albert Weinert; "The
Fairy," by Carl Gruppe, which crowns the Italian Towers; and the classic
vases at the portals.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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