The Washington herald., 1915-10-03
The San Francisco Exposition.
by JOHN ID. BARRY.

Ill.
by JOHN ID. BARRY.
The two massive groups, on each OF the
arches, in place of the Roman chariot or quadripa
were designed by Calder and executed by Roth
and Leo Lenteh. They gave the sculptors a
chance to do work extraordinarily large
scale, very seldom undertaken. After finishing the
Oriental group. with the richly ornamented Gle
phant for the central figure, picturesque Oriental
types on either side, Calder caft about to find
central figure that SHOULD serve as an appropriate
balance. He decided on the prairie schooner with
pair of oxen for the central mass, and with
American types for the surrounding groups The
girl standing directly in front of the schooner
represents the pioneer mother of the future The
emblematic figure top, the Spirit Of Enterprise,
might not have been introduced into the scheme
If St. Gaudens had not lived and used similar
kind of motive in his Sherman statue in Central
Park, New York. and his memorial statue to Rob
crt Gould Shaw, in Boston.
Both these groups generally called THE Ma
tions of the East and "Thc Nations OF the West"
arc masterpieces in deS gn and execution. They
offer good example OF artistic cooperation They
reflect great credit Calder and his collaborators
The hgure repeated several times on the arches
by Lcntclli OF the angel with the drawn sword is
cmblcmatic of the kind OF peace that is armed TO
the teeth. The ornamental star figure used as =:
decorative motive along the upper edge Of the
court and running out to the Marina is another
OF Caldcrs contributions picturesque and CAV
especially in the evening, when the Jewels they
contain reflect the light 1t was first skctched bv
Calder as he sat IN a train, going from San Fran
CISCO to New York. with Karl Bitter his asso-
clate the head OF the department of sculpture who
did most of his supervising in New York When
the court was hrst planned it called the Court
OF Honor. Later the name was changed to the
Court OF the Sun and Stars. II was with this
name in mind that Calder was inspired to make
the sketch. Finally, it decided that the court
should be known the Court OF the Universe
the most appropriate Of all the names, EXPRESSING
the international character OF the exposition
The huge figures that ornament the suntcn
garden. by Robert Aiken. formerly OF San Fran
CISCO and now of New York. give an imaginative
and original treatment OF the four clements. They
are often compared with the work OF Michael
Angelo. The curious figure hanging from the
back OF AIR synbolizes IcaruS sometimes called
the hrs OF the avlators about fall into tho sea
There are those who find the effect of the archi-
lecture mere little stony. They think they would
have been better satisfied if McLaren had taken
freer hand both in the Sunken garden and in the
ornamentlng OF the colonnadc. But the sunken
garden as IT stands, is skilfully treated After
good deal of experimenting, McLarcn found that
he could not get planting big enough to harmonic
with the vast space. So he decided to keen il
simple. The two fountains by A. A. Wcinran arc
strong architectural features His figures sur
mounting the shafts The Rising Sun" and "De
scendng Night among the great popuar
successes. THE Rising Sun has remarkable
spirit The graceful figure of the youth seems
about to sweep into the air The companion fr
urc OF the GIRL just folding her wings and seeming
to be ready to disappear "Dcsccnding Night" has
a lovely appropriateness to the subject and crca.
simplicity and charm
Under the eastern arch there are two suncrb
lnurals by Edward Simmons. of New Sorl, Tho,
are often neglected for the reason that Sin,r,o,s
did not profit by Guerin's hint that suhicct w,,s
al "sSoi re preferred to paint poetic nuras in
ana false hope, commerce, inspiration truth. re-
heion, wealth and family, and on the othcr sid.
WIN me types that represent the workman the
from lost Atlantis the Gracco-Roman and the
Spirit OF Adventure. For his adventurcr simmons
used Sir Walter Raleigh, and for his dscovcrcr he
uSea USED columbus. Most observers, not knowing
lnanshp. Some critics think that they are too
ght IN treatment for their position in the midst
OF so much vigorous architecture
lhc band stand that is to be seen in the u,,r,
toward the Marina, half Arabic and half Roman, |
IS pretty in design and picturesque in coloring:
but IT is out of place in this classic court
The corridors leading to the Marina have ar,hi-
lectnral splendor They are particularly beautiful
in the evening, when reflected in the pool
At the end of the little lake which stands in the
neck of the Court of the Universe, stretching to |
the Marina, is the Column Of Progress. suggested
by Calder and designed by w. Symmes Richard
SON. of Mckim. Mead and White, with relief bv
lsidore konti at The base, ssmbozing the workers
who sustain the burden of the world, designs of
ships circling the shaft and with Hermon Mac
Neils group of THE Adventurous Bowman hn |
top; The three figures, the bowman, his helper,
and his wife standing ready to crown his achieve
nents, are not outlined with sufficient dstinctness
They don't make clear silhouette. Their sym
oolism suggests the determined superman. forging
ahead. with the others following. His wife is NOT
MS equal. circumstance that serves as reminder
Of the lack among the artistic features OF the cx
position OF notes expressing the new social and
economic ideas and the changing relation between
women and men.
English Nurses in France. |
The French soldiers, writes Sir Thomas Ra,
clay. love their English nurses. They say the
nurses chcerfully compassionate, so slillfuI