the city of domes-第4章

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ong　the　multitude　a　flowers　that　he　intended　to　use　for　decoration。　The　grounds　he　had　carefully　mapped　and　he　studied　the　landscape　and　the　shape　and　color　of　the　buildings　section；　by　section。

The　planting　of　trees　consumed　many　months。　The　best　effects　McLaren　found　he　could　get　by　massing。　He　was　particularly　successful　with　the　magnificent　Fine　Arts　Palace；　both　in　his　groupings　and　in　his　use　of　individual　trees。　About　the　lagoon　he　did　some　particularly　attractive　planting；　utilizing　the　water　for　reflection。　There　was　a　twisted　cypress　that　he　placed　alone　against　the　colonnade　with　a　skill　that　showed　the　insight　and　the　feeling　of　an；　artist。　On；　the　water　side；　the　Marina；　he　used　the　trees　to　break　the　bareness　of　the　long　esplanade。　And　here　and　there　on　the　grounds；　for　pure　decoration；　he　reached　some　of　his　finest　effects　with　the　eucalyptus；　for　which　he　evidently　had　a　particular　regard。　As　no　California　Exposition　would　be　complete　without　palm　trees；　provision　was　made　for　the　decorative　use　of　palms　along　of　the　main　walks。

About　two　weeks　before　the　opening；　the　first　planting　of　the　gardens　was　completed；　the　first　of　the　three　crops　to　be　displayed　during　the　Exposition。　The　flowers　included　most　of　the　spring　flowers　grown　here　in　California　or　capable　of　thriving　in　the　California　spring　climate。　In　June　they　were　to　be　re…placed　with　geraniums；　begonias；　asters；　gilly…flowers；　foxglove；　hollyhocks；　lilies　and　rhododendrons。　The　autumn　display；　would　include　cosmos　and　chrysanthemums　and　marguerites。



The　Hedge



As　the　work　proceeded；　W。　B。　Faville；　the　architect；　of　Bliss　and　Faville；　made　a　suggestion　for　the　building　of　a　fence　that　should　look　as　if　it　were　moss…covered　with　age。　The　result　was　that　developing　the　suggestion　McLaren　devised　a　new　kind　of　hedge　likely　to　be　used　the　world　over。　It　was　made　of　boxes；　six　feet　long　and　two　feet　wide；　containing；　a　two…inch　layer　of　earth；　held　in　place　by　a　wire　netting；　and　planted　with　South　African　dew　plant；　dense；　green　and　hardy　and　thriving　in　this　climate。　Those　boxes；　when　piled　to　a　height　of　several　feet；　made　a　rustic　wall　of　great　beauty；　Moreover；　they　could　be　continuously　irrigated　by　a　one…inch　perforated　line　of　pipe。　In　certain　lights　the　water　trickling　through　the　leaves　shimmered　like　gems。　In　summer　the　plant　would　produce　masses　of　small　purple　flowers。

McLaren　found　his　experiment　so　successful　that　he　decided　to　build　a　hedge　twenty　feet　high；　extending　more　than　a　thousand　feet。　He　also　used　the　hedge　extensively　in　the　landscape　design　for　the　Palace　of　Fine　Arts。



The　Sculptors



The　department　of　sculpture　was　placed　under　the　direction　of　one　of　the　most　distinguished　sculptors　in　the　country。　Karl　Bitter；　of　New　York；　whose　death　from　an　automobile　accident　took　place　a　few　weeks　after　the　Exposition　opened。　He　gathered　around　him　an　extraordinary　array　of　co…operators；　including　many　of　the　most　brilliant　names　in　the　world　of　art；　with　A。　Stirling　Calder　as　the　acting　chief；　the　man　on　the　ground。　Though　he　did　not　contribute　any　work　of　his　own；　he　was　active　in　developing　the　work　as　a　whole；　taking　special　pains　to　keep　it　in　character　and　to　see　that；　even　in　it　its　diversity；　it　gave　the　impression；　of　harmony。

Calder　welcomed　the　chance　to　work　on　a　big　scale　and　to　carry　out　big　ideas。　With　Bitter　he　visited　San　Francisco　in　August；　1912；　for　a　consultation　with　the　architectural　commission。　Minutely　they　went　over　the　site　and　examined　the　architectural　plans。　Then　they　picked　the　sculptors　that　they　wished　to　secure　as　co…operators。

In　December；　1912；　Bitter　and　Calder　made　another　visit　to　San　Francisco　for　further　conferring　with　the　architectural　commission；　bearing　sketches　and　scale　models。　Bitter　explained　his　plans　in　detail　and　asked　for　an　appropriation。　He　was　told　that　he　should　be　granted　six　hundred　thousand　dollars。　The　amount　was　gradually　reduced　till　it　finally　reached　three　hundred　and　seventy…five　thousand　dollars。

It　was　at　this　period　that　Calder　submitted　his　plan　for　the　Column　of　Progress。　He　had　worked　it　out　in　New　York　and　had　the　scale　models　made　by　MacNeil　and　Konti。　It　won　the　approval　of　McKim；　Mead　&　White；　who　declared　that　it　made　an　ideal　feature　of　the　approach　from　the　bay　side　to　their　Court　of　the　Universe；　then　called　the　Court　of　the　Sun　and　Stars。

The　next　few　months　of　preparation　in　New　York　meant　getting　the　sculptors　together　and　working　out　the　designs。　The　first　meeting　of　the　sculptors　took　place　in　January；　1913；　in　Bitter's　studio；　with　a　remarkable　array　of　personages　in　attendance；　including　D。　C。　French；　Herbert　Adams；　Robert　Aitken；　James　E。　Fraser；　H。　A。　MacNeil；　A。　A。　Weinman；　Mahonri　Young；　Isidore　Konti；　Mrs。　Burroughs　and　several　others。　In　detail　Bitter　explained　the　situation　in　San　Francisco　and　outlined　his　ideas　of　what　ought　to　be　done。　Already　Henry　Bacon　had　sent　in　his　design　for　his　Court　of　the　Four　Seasons　and　sculptors　were　set　to　work　on　its　ornamentation；　Albert　Jaegers；　Furio　Piccirilli；　Miss　Evelyn　Beatrice　Longman　and　August　Jaegers；　a　time　limit　being　made　for　the　turning　in　of　their　plans。



Developing　the　Sculpture



In　June；　1913；　Calder　returned　to　San　Francisco　to　stay　till　the　Exposition　was　well　started。　On　the　grounds　he　established　a　huge　workshop。　Then　he　began　the　practical　developing　of　the　designs；　a　great　mass；　which　had　already　been　carefully　sifted。　Hitherto；　in　American　expositions　the　work　had　been　done；　for　the　most　part；　in　New　York；　and　sent　to　its　destination　by　freight；　a　method　costly　in　itself　and　all　the　more　costly　on　account　of　the　inevitable　breakage。　San　Francisco；　by　being　so　far　from　New　York；　would　have　been　a　particularly　expensive　destination。　From　every　point　of　view　it　seemed　imperative　that　the　work　should　be　done　here。

In　a　few　weeks　that　shop　was　a　hive　of　industry；　with　sculptors；　students　of　sculpture　front　the　art　schools；　pointers；　and　a　multitude　of　other　white…clad　workers　bending　all　their　energies　toward　the　completion　on　time　of　their　colossal　task。　A　few　of　the　sculptors　and　artisans　Calder　had　brought　from　New　York。　But　most　of　the　workers　he　secured　in　San　Francisco；　chiefly　from　the　foreign　population；　some　of　them　able　to　speak　little　or　no　English。

The　modeling　of　the　replicas　of　well…known　art　works　were；　almost　without　exception；　made　in　clay。　Most　of　the　original　work　was　directly　modelled　in　plaster…staff　used　so　successfully　throughout　the　Exposition。　For　the　enlarging　of　single　pieces　and　groups　the　pointing　machine　of　Robert　Paine　was　chosen　by　Calder。　It　was　interesting　to　see　it　at　work；　under　the　guidance　of　careful　and　patient　operators；　tracing　mechanically　the　outlines　and　reproducing　them　on　a　magnified　scale。　For　the　finishing　of　the　friezes　the　skill　of　the　artist　was　needed；　and　there　Calder　found　able　assistants　in　the　two　young　sculptors；　Roth　and　Lentelli；　who　worked　devotedly　themselves　and　directed　groups　of　students。

In　all　the　sculpture　Calder　strove　to　keep　in　mind　the　significance　of　the　Exposition　and　the　spirit　of　the　people　who　were　celebrating。　With　him　styles　of　architecture　and　schools　were　a　minor　consideration；　to　be　left　to　the　academicians　and　the　critics。　He　believed　that　sculpture；　like　all　other　art…forms；　was　chiefly　valuable　and　interesting　as　human　expression。



The　Decorative　Figures



Less　successful　on　the　whole　than　the　blending　of　sculpture　and　architecture　were　the　individual　figures　designed　to　be　placed　against　the　walls。　Some　of　them　were　extremely　well　done。　Others　were　obvious　disappointments。　The　unsophisticated　judgment；　free　from　Continental　bias；　might　have　objected　to　the　almost　gratuitous　use　of　nudity。　For　a　popular　exhibition；　even　the　widely…traveled　and　broad…minded　art　lover　might　have　been　persuaded　that　a　concession　to　prejudice　could　have　been　made　without　any　great　damage　to　art。

In　the　magnificent　entrance　to　the　grounds　it　was　deemed　fitting　that　the　meaning　of　the　Exposition　should　be　symbolized　by　an　elaborate　fountain。　So　in　the　heart　of　the　South　Gardens　there　was　placed　the　Fountain　of　Energy；　the　design　of　A。　Stirling　Calder；　the　athl