The Beauty of Grief

In the Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington D.C. lies the grave site of Clover Hooper Adams. This unique grave site bears an allegorical bronze sculpture representing despair and grief. It is not named, but does not ask to be named. This sculpture is the questioner.

The story of Marian "Clover" Hooper Adams is complex and tragic. An outspoken, intellectual woman who was one of the earliest portrait photographers, fell into a deep depression after the death of her father in April 1885. In December of the same year in her bedroom, she drank potassium-cyanide, a poisonous chemical used in developing her photographs. To read more about Clover Adams, click here.

Henry Adams, Clover's husband, traveled to Japan with La Farge in 1886 to learn about Buddhism. The next year he commissioned Augustus Saint-Gaudens to create a memorial for his wife. He was specific about the need for the sculpture to be a union of Eastern and Western spirituality . Saint-Gaudens became deeply involved in the piece and casting was postponed a few times. The piece was finally unveiled in 1891, four years after the commission had been made. Wikipedia offers more on the story.

The piece was never officially named. Saint-Gaudens meant for the statue to ask a question, not to answer one. The sculpture is not meant to be male or female, nor is it meant to be a monument to suicide. I believe this piece was meant to speak to the soul, to awaken people to the concept of life and death, and to move something inside them. Eleanor Roosevelt was known to visit the sculpture often, and said that when she was feeling unhappy, she would visit the statue and come away feeling better and stronger. For more information read the article In the Statue's Grip.

Mark Twain visited the statue in 1906. He is rumored to have named the statue "Grief" which in my opinion seems like a fitting title for the piece. This is mentioned in The Legend of Black Aggie. However, I think the statue can hold many names for the different people who view it. It is such a compelling piece of art and it can help us understand that our suffering doesn't go unnoticed.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens is an incredible artist. His work is revered the world over, even by his competitors. For information on the video, American Masters: Augustus Saint-Gaudens, go to PBS.org. Throughout the next few weeks I will be discussing one or more of his sculptures, including the Shaw Memorial which you won't want to miss! Please feel free to leave a comment or to reply to this post. I welcome feedback and am interested in what you have to say.

-Penny Lane

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Now: Up at the Springville Museum of Art

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Though my post is a little late, cut me some slack. It's raining and gorgeous outside, and we've been enjoying it. Might sound crazy, but I am so glad this summer is over. Tomorrow we head to Baer Bronze to check the metal. Before that, Mike had to go out there to check the wax: Mostly, this blog is going to be in photos. Because the photos are awesome and speak for themselves. When I look at this wax, I'm not sure what the purpose is. Here's what I know: Mike's pieces are cast using the Lost Wax method, which means the piece is cast in wax first, remolded, and then when the bronze is poured the wax is burned away. Hence, the lost wax method. This is an amazing shot. What I like about this broken wax piece is the detail you can see. This is pretty much what the bronze will look like. You know, minus the attachments on the bottom. There are some of the pieces that had to be removed and cast separately. The wolf is one of my favorite figures from thi

Now: The Molding Process

I know it's been a month since I last posted. Wondering what we're doing? Wonder no more! It's hot, the kids are back in school, and it's project-finishing time. Today I'm going to post some photos (and maybe videos) of the casting process for Mike's last project. When Mike gets to the end of a project, he can literally feel the exhaustion settle in, so for this project he spent time documenting the process. Baer Bronze examines the piece for casting The piece above has already been "tampered with," as I like to call it. Really it's just been cut up and pulled apart to make the casting process easier. Mike usually doesn't like this part, taking a knife or a saw and slicing into all his hard work. But it's worth it in the end. Figure that needed to be "dismembered" Here comes the blue stuff. This pretty blue goo is what makes the rubber mold. They mix it from powder and paint it on the clay. The foundry makes sure to

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