Our Statement
The soft patter of rain. Deep earthy tones. Tall, strong, natural structures reaching into the sky. These are the sights and sounds of the pacific northwest the James Fitzgerald is notorious for capturing.
When we see the Rainforest sculpture, we see the pacific northwest. The tall structures represent trees reaching towards the sky. The fallen structures are reminiscent of trees past, fallen, with new life growing from them. To capture our interpretation of this sculpture, we created an animation that depicts the life cycle of a tree in the PNW. Apinya took a picture of the sculpture and digitally painted over it to create an animation that depicts the sculpture’s origins. Starting from a strong healthy tree and finishing with the stumps or remnants of the trees. Raimy chose and played an excerpt from Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations with her cello. The excerpt’s dynamics are in an arc, the piece mournfully crescendos and then dies down. To us, this dynamic arc represents a cycle, specifically the life cycle of a strong and healthy tree decaying.
History and influence of Fitzgerald
The ‘Rain forest’ sculpture was made during the end of the modern/ Avant-Garde art movement- a movement focused on the idea of originality. Fitzgerald was heavily influenced by abstract art- a genre of modern art. Many of his pieces were highly abstract and unique. The ‘Rain forest’ reflects the abstract movement of modern art. Abstract art attempts to reshape the natural to show expression. Fitzgerald clearly uses abstract concepts in the ‘Rain forest’ by using almost unrecognizable shapes to create the idea of trees, bronze media to represent natural resources, and fountains to represent rain. Fitzgerald had created this art piece in 1959, which says a lot about the sculpture itself. During the 1950’s abstract expressionism was said to be the most noteworthy art movement which impacted the Modern Sculpture uprise. This makes sense when looking further into the mind of Fitzgerald while creating ‘Rain Forest.’ The Pacific Northwest during the 1950’s was a time of growth but at the cost of using natural resources, specifically lumber, for economic improvement.
James FitzGerald with Fountain of the Northwest, Playhouse Theater Courtyard, Seattle Center, 1962 Courtesy Miro FitzGerald
http://www.historylink.org/File/20621
Symbolism in Rain Forest
Fitzgerald ties current world events, world war 2 particularly, into his ‘Rain Forest’ sculpture and uniquely embodies the Pacific Northwest into his art. Fitzgerald lived through the war, and the “Rainforest” was made a mere 14 years after the end of the war. On a plaque at the bottom of the sculpture, Fitzgerald honors those who served in WW2. The sculpture shows the two dead trees still standing among the millions of living trees insight that surround Western Washington University. This is a beautiful parallel between the darkness to those who died in the war, and beauty of what still remains.
Recap
As the Director of the Spokane Art Center, a reputable artist and teacher, James Fitzgerald’s life was nothing ordinary. Throughout his many accomplishments in his art career, Fitzgerald’s ‘Rain Forest’ will be a work of art that goes unforgotten. This sculpture was Western Washington Universities first public work of art and embodies the area in which it resides. Growing up in the early 1900’s and living through war have influenced Fitzgerald’s art works. He tends to give great appreciation to the area where his art lives; showing he is passionate and careful with his creations. Clearly, Fitzgerald is a master in his field of work, but what seems prominent in his art pieces is his great appreciation to the surroundings. James Fitzgerald looked beyond the aesthetics of his art and focused more so on the emotions and thoughts the art piece may provoke.
Credits
Apinya: Animation, research, rainfall recording
Glen: Research, compiled information
Raimy: Played music, research
References:
“Fountain of Freedom, 1966.” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, artmuseum.princeton.edu/campus-art/objects/45571?lat=40.3487&lon=-74.6549.
“Making Public Art More Public.” Home | Public Art Archive, www.publicartarchive.org/search/apachesolr_search/james fitzgerald.
Centennial Fountain, (Sculpture)., siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?menu=search&aspect=Keyword&term=WA000150&index=.NW.
“HistoryLink.org.” Bellingham — Thumbnail History,
www.historylink.org/File/7904.
“The Story of 1950s Art.” Widewalls,
“Rain Forest.” Rain Forest | Western Gallery, Audio,
westerngallery.wwu.edu/sculpture/rain-forest.
“Pop Art Movement, Artists and Major Works.” The Art Story,
www.theartstory.org/movement-pop-art.htm.
Bestor Dorothy, Oral history interview with James Herbert Fitzgerald and
Margaret Tomkins, 1965, Oct. 27. Archives of American Art,
Smithsonian Institution.
“‘James FitzGerald (Artist)” Folders on Revolvy.com.” Revolvy, LLC,
www.revolvy.com/page/James-FitzGerald-%28artist%29.
Martin, David. “James Herbert Fitzgerald.” James Herbert Fitzgerald – Artist
Biography for James Herbert Fitzgerald, AskART, July 2006.
Poyner, Fred. “HistoryLink.org.” FitzGerald, James (1910-1973), HistoryLink,
16 Aug. 2018, www.historylink.org/File/20621.
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