Art-Lovers guide to the Exposition | Page 8

court is Sherry Fry's personification of
Aquatic Life. The statue is of a heavy sort that should be anywhere but in this place of
ethereal mood and exquisite detailed workmanship. Blot out the background and you can
see that the figure has a certain solid grace. But if designed for this court it fails of its
decorative purpose.

Court of the Universe

The Court of the Universe is the most magnificent of the courts. Considering the many
units-the noble arches, the long colonnades with their corner pavilions, the sunken garden
with its fountains and decorative sculpture, and the vista to the Column of Progress and
the Marina-it is by far the richest in artistic interest. But is it so imposing, so vast, that it
necessarily lacks the sense of quiet restfulness and intimacy of appeal of the smaller
courts. It is in a sense the Civic Center of the great Exposition model city, and as such it
offers many suggestions of wise planning-and one or two of poor planning, as in the case
of the obtrusive band-stand.
The meaning of the court is to be found in the symbolism of the groups surmounting the
two triumphal arches-the Nations of the East meeting the Nations of the West. With the
opening of the Panama Canal the peoples of the universe have met at last; West faces
East on this shore of the Pacific. The idea is finely expressed in the lines by Walt
Whitman, inscribed on the west arch, in which the spirit of the Aryan race, having
traveled this far, is supposed to speak as she gazes westward to Asia, "the house of
maternity," her original home:
Facing west from California's shores, Inquiring, tireless, seeking what is yet unfound, I, a
child, very old, over waves, towards the house of maternity, the land of migrations, look
afar, Look off the shores of my Western Sea, the circle almost circled.
Variations of this theme may be found in the murals under the arches, and in those under
the Tower of Jewels near by. Other universal themes are treated in the Fountains of the
Rising Sun and of the Setting Sun, and in The Elements at the edge of the sunken garden.
The idea of achievement, of victory in conquering the universe, is also suggested in the
triumphal arches.
Architecture
The style of architecture is in general Roman; though, as is true almost throughout the
Exposition buildings, there is an admixture of Renaissance motives. Even on the massive
Roman arches there is a trace of Moorish lightness and color in the green lattices; and the
domes of the corner pavilions are clearly Eastern in feeling.
The East and West arches are, of course, reminiscent of the triumphal arches of the
Roman Conquerors. A comparison with pictures of the famous Arch of Constantine and
the Arch of Titus at Rome, will show how thoroughly the architects have mastered the
feeling of the classic examples, while largely modifying the decorative features. To
properly see either of the arches in this court as a single unit, it is best to stand at the side
of the sunken garden, near one of the figures of "The Elements," where the fountain
columns do not obstruct the view.
The long colonnade, with its fine Corinthian columns and its surmounting row of
"Star-girls," can best be appreciated when one stands facing north, with back to the
Tower of Jewels-since the architecture of that was clearly conceived by another mind and
built in a different spirit. It is from the two corner pavilions on the tower side, perhaps,
that the best general views of the court can be obtained. Unfortunately the attractive view
down the straight colonnades of the north extension of the court is marred by a gaudy
band pavilion, which is quite out of keeping with the pervading mood of simple dignity.
The little corner pavilions are worthy of study alone, as a graceful and unusual bit of
architectural design.
The Court of the Universe was designed by McKim, Mead and White.

Sculpture
The Court of the Universe has more than its share of the best sculpture of the Exposition.
In this court more than anywhere else one can obtain an idea of the remarkable scope of
the sculptured groups. It is a good place to linger in if one has heretofore had pessimistic
doubts about the ultimate flowering of the art of sculpture in America.
The Fountain of the Rising Sun is at the east end of the sunken garden. Its tall shaft is
surmounted by the figure of a youth typifying the Rising Sun-a figure of irresistible
appeal. The morning of day and the morning of life, the freshness of the dawn and the
aspiration of youth-- these things are remarkably suggested in the figure. With head