ACCESS ART
CUSTOM TOURS
YOUR CUSTOM TOUR
|
|
|
|
ACCESS ART
CUSTOM TOURS
YOUR CUSTOM TOUR
|
|
|
Harriet Whitney Frishmuth (1880 - 1980) American JOY OF THE WATERS, 1917 Bronze Height 63 1/2 inches Gift of Mrs. Harrie G. Carnell, 1919.1 |
One of Harriet Frishmuth's first and most popular garden fountains, Joy of
the Waters depicts, in dancelike movement, the figure's reaction to having
her toes splashed with cold water. Frishmuth's skillful rendering of the female
physique is especially evident in the subtle definition of the figure's muscles
and ribs. The girl's springing, energetic step, joyful expression, and animated
hair create an exuberant mood and suggest that she may be a water sprite.
Frishmuth made two versions of Joy of the Waters: the 63 1/2-inch size,
of which there were more than 60 bronze castings, including the Art Institute's,
and a smaller, 46-inch fountain, created in 1920, of which there were more than
40 castings. The model for this 1917 bronze was a Belgian girl named Janette
Ransome. When Frishmuth made the second version of the subject, she used her
favorite model, the dancer Desha Delteil. Both bronzes were among Frishmuth's
most popular works, especially during the 1920s, a period of heightened vogue in
America for garden sculpture and fountains.
The beginning of the 20th century saw a number of women (among them Frishmuth,
Anna Hyatt Huntington, and Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney) successfully pursue
careers as sculptors, a field that had traditionally been considered masculine.
Born in Philadelphia, Frishmuth briefly studied with Rodin in Paris around 1900
from whom she said she learned two important things:
Marianne Richter
SUGGESTED READINGS:
Conner, Janis, and Joel Rosenkrantz. Rediscoveries in American Sculpture:
Studio Works 1893-1939. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1989.
Fort, Ilene Susan. The Figure in American Sculpture: A Question of
Modernity. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum in association with
University of Washington Press, 1995.
"Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, American Sculptor." Courier (October 1971,
Vol. 9, No. 1): 21-35.
Sculpture by Harriet Whitney Frishmuth . Brookgreen, South Carolina:
Brookgreen Gardens, 1937.
First, always look at the silhouette of a subject and be guided by it; second,
remember that movement is the transition from one attitude to another. It is a
bit of what was and a bit of what is to be.
Frishmuth later studied at the Art Students League in New York before setting up
her own studio about 1908. Throughout her career, she was especially interested
in depicting stylized movement, especially of the female figure, as exemplified
by Joy of the Waters.
