Culminating ProjectBy: Sara Fisher & Amanda Pointer

Aesthetic Education Fall 2009

The Work of Art:“Humboldt's Nymph”

Modeled after Wilhelm Von Humboldt’s statue.

Replica created by J.L. Mott Iron works.

Noticed.

Formal

Fitting for the park.

Whimsical.

Classic statue.

Very white.

Seen.

Traffic.

Cyclists.

People.

Leaves in the fountain.

No water.

Heard.

Cars driving by.

Horns beeping.

Commotion.

Teenagers talking and laughing.

Felt.

Relaxed.

Oblivious to noise.

The transition between seasons (empty fountain).

Questions.

Who created this statue?

What inspired the creation of this statue?

When and why was it brought to North East?

What is the statue made of?

What other works did the artist create?

Contextual Information: Historical.

This statue stands four feet tall and arrived by mail order in North East, PA in 1889. This is a replica of ancient headless statue owned by Wilhelm Von Humboldt. It has survived losing its head, left arm, both feet, and being shattered into 300 pieces. Each time, the North East streets department puts her back together. In 2005, she was removed from her pedestal and sent to Oberlin, OH to be completely restored. Now, the zinc statue is located in the North East Historical Society. A white and durable replica stands in place.

Historical Continued…“The park was founded in the early 1800's by James Gibson. Once a grazing area for swine, sheep, and cattle, today the park is adorned with towering trees and monuments. The small community of North East, Pa is located along the shores of Lake Erie and is known for its sprawling Concord grape farms and local wineries. The home town of Wayne Parameter, who grew up visiting many of the shops as a boy, is depicted in the print.”

Contextual Information: Cultural.

Zinc Sculpture in America: 1850-1950

By: Carol A. Grissom

• “Antique and Renaissance sculptures listed in Seelig”s catalogue may likewise have been obtained in Berlin. Collections of antique sculpture were highly valued in Berlin and frequently copied in Zinc. Humboldt's nymph replicated an antique marble statue owned by Wilhelm Von Humboldt, a cultivated administrator and brother of the celebrated scientist Alexander Humboldt. The headless statue in Humboldt's collection as been restored with a head modeled by Rauch after the owners wife and it was this version that was copied in zinc in both Berlin and New York. Relatively few antique copies made of zinc have been located in the United States, however, probably because of wanting interest in classical statuary. They continued to diminish over the years, moreover, and are absent from J.L. Mott’s Iron Work Statuary Catalogue in 1919, with the exception of Humboldt's Nymph”

Contextual Information: Social

Wilhelm Von Humboldt:

June 22, 1767 – April 8, 1835

Diplomat, philosopher, educator, friend of Goethe, linguist, liberalist and widely recognized as the “architect of the Prussian education system.” (which is a model for other countries such as U.S. and Japan.)

Personal Connections.

o Many of us, at one point or another, have walked past a park with a statue or fountain in it. We all have our own personal experiences with viewing this type of work of art and connect with this particular piece on some level. However, our perceptions are most likely different because of our backgrounds and different experiences.

Curricular Connections.

o We have discussed throughout class the Booth readings and how the concepts of perception, sensation, and imagination, and how we observe. With this particular work of art think of the following questions:• Have you walked past the park and not

noticed the statue? How many times have you walked past the park and noticed the statue? What did it look like? Was she holding anything? What was she wearing?

• These questions connect with how we each of us individually view and take in works of art in an everyday setting.

Cross-Curricular Activities.

Select another work of art from your hometown and research it.

Take a field trip to a museum and document noticings.

Activity Ideas.

Look at the statue for 1 minute. Look away and record what you noticed.

Using your imagination, recreate the statue with color. If you were a painter, what colors would you use to paint the statue?

Possible Lines of Inquiry.

Observe noticings

(perception, sensation,

feeling)

Explore history.

Make a sc

ulpture

.

Have an artist th

at specia

lizes i

n

making sculptures s

peak to th

e

class.

Display a

ll of w

orks

of art.

“Humboldt’s

Nymph”

Key Ideas.

The position of the statue.

What the statue wearing.

What the statue is holding.

The gender of the statue.

Line of Inquiry.

Aesthetic

• How does the color of the statue make you feel?

• What do you noises do you hear while looking at the statue?

• Does the statue aesthetically fit within its surroundings?

• What is your perception of the statue?

Mind Mapping

“Humboldt’s Nymph”

Noticings

Color,

sound,

light,

season,

setting

Questions and

Inquiring

Historical background?

Aesthetic Educatio

n

Percepti

onInterpretati

on

Imaginatio

n

Personal experiences/backgr

ound

Reflection

Different

view

points

References.

http://www.parmenterstudios.com/lady_of_the_fountain.html

http://www.byways.org/stories/74838

Zinc Sculpture in America: 1850-1950

By: Carol A. Grissom

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_von_Humboldt