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.)
Sculpture. All the sculpture on Festival Hall is the work of Sherry E.
Fry. The figures are well suited to their purpose, from the slender
"Torch-Bearer," surmounting the minor domes, to the heavy reclining
figures on the pylons at the main entrance. Most of the statues are too
roughly finished to have more than a decorative interest, but the two
groups flanking the main stairway are worthy of study. These two "Flower
Girls," one on either side, have a beautiful flowing grace. But quite
the most appealing things here are the two minor figures before the
pedestals on which the Flower Girls stand. Before the one at the north
is a captivating boy Pan with a lizard. Half hidden in the shrubbery at
the other side is the sitting figure of a girl, attractively immature
and charming in line.
Palace of Horticulture
The Palace of Horticulture is characterized by that combination of
Eastern and Western architectural motives which is so noticeable
throughout the buildings. The dome is Byzantine, while the rest of the
building is of Renaissance, or modern, French architecture. The dome
considered alone is an almost perfect bit of design, beautifully
proportioned and finely simple. The rest of the building is in general
over-decorated, the portals especially being heavily loaded down with
meaningless ornament. Apologists for the building say that the profuse
ornateness rightly suggests the richness of California's horticulture.
Perhaps the best view of the dome is from the east end of the Avenue of
the Nations, near the Denmark building, because from there one can see
it unobstructed, escaping the disturbing effect of the portals and their
spires. The Palace of Horticulture was designed by Bakewell and Brown of
San Francisco.
Sculpture. All of the sculpture here is purely decorative. The frieze at
the base of each spire, consisting of heavy female figures modeled in
pairs, is by E. L. Boutier. The ornamental Caryatides of the porches are
by John Bateman.
Palace of Fine Arts
The Fine Arts Palace has been more admired, probably, than any other
architectural unit at the Exposition. The reasons are not far to seek.
The architect has used those classic forms which for ages have been
recognized as best suited to monumental structures, and yet he has used
them with originality. The building is classically noble, but without
classic austerity or coldness. It is at once beautiful in form, rich in
decorative detail, and satisfyingly warm in color. Moreover, it has the
finest setting of all the Exposition buildings. The bigness of
conception, the boldness with which the largest architectural elements
have been handled, the perfect arrangement of architecture, planting,
and reflecting waters-all these combine to create the most compelling
picture on the grounds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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