The Washington herald., 1915-10-05
The San Francisco Exposition.
BY JOHN ID. BARRY.

the main axis OF the Exposition And Bernard K
Maybtck, the San Francisco architect who made
the design, had happy inspiration when he lifted
1t up from the surrounding fatness and made it
seem to stand on an cmnence where it could
dominate.
The rotunda is free use of the Roman classic
sty.e and remotely resembles the Pantheon, in
Rome. The colonnade behind is Roman, too. But ;
the treatment, in its refinement of detail is Greek
The architects say that NJ, beck has broken all
the rules; but they acknowledge that he IS justi-
fed by his success He has done something unique
of astonishing beauty. In his use of the lagoon
h. has been very successful and in the planting ne
has had fine cooperation from McLaren
Maybeck says that his mind was started on the
design by the remembrance of two paintings, 'The
Island of the Dead" by Boeckn, and The Chariot
Race" by Ierome. And yet the work a whole
is decidedly original. Maybcck intended that it
should suggest an abandoned ruin. the relic OF
great civilization. He planned to surround the
rotunda with willow trees reaching to the tops of
the columns, and to use the masses of African dew
plant, which now do not explain themselves, for
the purpose of giving the trees depth. In the urns
at the tops of the grouped columns, with the half
nude figures of women at the corners he planned
to Towering plants. He also intended that will
low trees should stand about the edge OF the
lagoon with the branches overhanging and with
the water running under their leaves. Unfortu-
nately, the cost proved to be prohibve.
Decorative as those figures at the urns have
been made by Uric II. Ellerhusen. of New York.
who did the Greek figures with garlands the
flower at the base of the colonnades, they
puzzle many people. They. are desi igned to sug..
gest the sadness of art, rejecting the sadness of
life. This mighty work is to architecture what
tragedy is to drama. 1t appeals to the same
emotion. 1t excites sympathy through beauty.
Most of the details worked out by the
architect. The kneeling figure at the altar was
executed from his design by Ralph Stackpole, of
San Francisco one of the ablest of the younger
American sculptors, gifted with exceptional fine
ness of feeling.
The frieze at the altar rock, beneath the figure,
"The Source of Genius" is by Louis Bruno Zinm,
of New York, who executed the panels below the
dome celebrating the influence and the progress
of art.
The figure that can be from across the
lagoon through the rotunda, hanging above the
doorway of the Palace of Fine Arts. Aspiration"
Lentelli, the sculptor driven nearly distracted
by the problem. At the opening of the exposition
the figure looked if it had been caught against
the wall 1t was so ridicued that base was i'm
Though beautiful in itself. it is out of place.
Visitors often say that there is something
Egyptian about the Palace OF Fine Arts. 1t comes
from the Egyptian red that Guerin has used on
the wall of the colonnade and from the Egyptian
roof garden above.
The palace is at its best at night under
the triple moonlight that Ryan throws on it, deep
ening the suggestion of melancholy.
From the colonnade and the rotunda there are
fine views across the lagoon OF the splendid west
ern WALL which Faville has broken with his two
Roman half domes On the columns at either
side of those domes Ralph Stackpole gives an
other example of his work in the nude male figure
of Thought. In the center OF each stands :, an
Italian fountain. Both beautiful, the smaller,
in the dome OF philosophy, perhaps the inner on
account of its simplicity and the sllvcry effect OF
the water flowing from the circular bowl
| After passing through the coonnade of the
Palace of Fine Arts and returning to the Ave
nue. of Palms, meets a suggestion OF the tropics
| in the richness of the planting McLaren knew
| that most visitors from the East would expect to
find San Francisco tropical, and he wanted, if pos
1rnnr hon, from hpt dyS ted
The southern wall is varied in line by the two
! half courts in the Italian Renaissance style, de-
signed by George w. kelham. The two towers:
one either side of each court are cleverly used
both as part OF the wall and as setting for the
court They help to make the entrance imposing.
| The equestr ian statute IN front OF the court
"The End OF the Trail" by James Earle Fraser,
all kinds of people AT first view the meaning is
clear The spectator feels with the tired Indian
bending forward over his tired pony after long
! journey, perhaps over the mountains, battling
against the wind and the rain The group has a
further appeal in suggesting the end OF the Indian
i race
their graceful shape, their rich coloring their
beauty OF design and for the finish Of their detail
In the Court of Palms the treatment is some
what more than in the companion court
| OF the three nurals in the Court of Palms, by
Arthur F. Mathews, Childe Hassam and Charles
Holloway, Mathews Victorious Spirit stands out
for its finely appropriate cooring and for ITS
imaginative ygor
| 1t was at first intended that the sunken garden
in the center of this court should be ornamented
by fountain specially executed for it by Edgel
/ Walter, of San Francisco. But at the last mo.
ment it was decided that the fountain should be
placed in the Court of Flowers, somewhat to the
disappointment of the sculptor. He had worked i
out with the thought that it should be looked
down on from above.
On leaving the Court of Palms and passing
the Tower of Jewels, finds the corresponding
half court. The pergola running around the uppei
part of the court causes some people to prefer il
to the Court of Palms. 1t has the advantage o.
being ornamented with the charming figure Of tn.
"Oriental Flower Girl" by Stirling Calder TIL,
lions, by Albert Laesslc, of Philadelphia, ar,
: splendidy executed. Walters fountain, "Beaut,
and the Beast" even if it ought to b
. somewhere else, nevertheless makes beautiful
effect here 1t should be seen when the water i
flowing at the feet Of the nude girl, in cap and san
dals over the circular bowl, with the figures play
ling the Pipes of Pan underneath. clever feature
of the fountain is the Assyrian frieze at the base
with the figures. the ape and the bear. The con
ception is French in character and worked out b,
sculptor who succeeds in mingling poetic fame.
: and humor.
In this court MeLaren has been particular,
Il in, of he 1o0h ~.