Monday, October 25, 2021

T Stands for the Rest of St. Gaudens

 Hi everyone. Happy T day or happy Tuesday if you aren't here for T.

And before I forget to mention, if you get a comment that says they can't publish your comment, ignore it. It is coming through on my blog, but my email server updated itself and now Google/blogger comments aren't going through my mail. So I do still see them. Thanks to all of you who mentioned that to me!

Last week I shared a few photos from St. Gaudens National Monument, and I thought I would share more with you today for T.  (Today's post is a bit long-sorry about that!)

You might remember that St. Gauden's was a sculpture who created art in the late 1800's into  the very early 1900's. The family summer home is located in Cornish, New Hampshire, right along the New Hampshire and  Vermont border. When the family gave up the home, it became a park and was later taken over by the US National Park Service.  Back in early October my daughter and I visited for an afternoon. We had both taken a road trip to that area from our separate homes, and met up early that day.

This first photo is the sculptor's studio. Isn't it an amazing building? I wish I had a building even 1/16 the size of this one in my yard to go play in, but then again, I am not a famous sculpture living and creating during the Gilded Age. Smile. 



The front porch (which you can see the corner of in the above photo) is covered with grape vines.


It also has this pretty ancient Greek style fresco along the top of of the covered porch.



And here's the inside of the  studio.


The park service shared some of his art here, including models of the US currency he designed and some of his sculptures. 

This next photo looks more like a working area in the same studio building.


Here's a  few of the sculptures on display in his studio.




You can also read about the sculptor here.


The other original building on the property is where the caretaker lived. He had a small room off the barn.
It is interesting to think about how, in just a little over 100 years, how and where we live has changed so much.


This is my link to T this week. You can notice the drinks, Including the can of coffee, on the caretaker's table. Be sure to stop by Bleubeard's and Elizabeth's blog where we share our drink related posts every Tuesday.

Here's more of the caretaker's home.





I'm not sure why this woodstove below was just sitting in the middle of the room.

And here's his facilities. I grant you they don't look like they've been cared for in all those years, but they were certainly basic, weren't they? 


The differences between the beauty of the artist's home (from last week's T day post) and the caretaker's room also says a lot about the time period too. 
Here's some of the carriages in the barn. I don't believe the family used these particular ones, but carriages were the transportation mode of the day. Another way life has really changed.



This is one of my favorite sculpture's on the grounds. It is a copy of one found on the Boston Common.


Looking at it as a whole, it doesn't really catch my eye. It's just another military statue.  The American Civil War must have  left huge emotional scars on society and the people who lived during it. With all the post-war sculptures they created, you have to wonder if they were honoring the fallen or trying to remind people about the carnage and death. 

 When you get close up and look at the details, you can see that St. Gauden's was talented. The faces of the soldiers are really amazing.








Another sign of those times. White leader on his horse, black soldiers walking. 

His statues, as I mentioned last week,  are of a classic style and are from another time. Last week Mae reminded me there was a lot about St. Gauden's in David McCullough's book, The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris.  I had read that book and forgotten at the chapter on St. Gaudens. I do recommend it if you like history.

And I'll wrap up today's post with a few more of the classic style pieces that St. Gauden's made, these were also as remembrances to the American Civil War (1860-1865).









Hope you enjoyed the visit. Next week I shall stop playing tour guide (at least for a little while-hee-hee) and get back to normal T. Have a great T day and week ahead.

And thanks, as always, for visiting.









20 comments:

kathyinozarks said...

Yes I did enjoy the visit-what a fabulous studio with great views too. enjoyed seeing his art
thanks for sharing Erika-Happy T wishes

Mae Travels said...

I really enjoyed the photos of St.Gaudens’ studio and sculptures. Thanks for sharing them. And for the shout-out!

best…mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Sharon Madson said...

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. Happy T Day.

Linda Kunsman said...

I loved every bit of your post Erika! Your photos have so wonderfully captured all the beauty of St Gaudens. The detail photos are amazing! I even find a charm about the caretaker's basic, meager, and simple living quarters. Thanks so much for sharing, and happy T day!

Angie's Recipes said...

Those pictures of St. Gaudens look really gorgeous. The faces of the soldiers are vivid.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

These were fabulous photos, Erika. I love the detail shots from his studio and of course, the sculpture of the soldiers and man on the horse. Signs of the times, indeed. In some ways, not much has changed in that respect.

The caretaker's home was so basic and it showed the disparity between wealth and "servant." Thanks so much for taking us back to St. Gaudens and his studio and sculptures. He certainly was a great and prolific sculptor. Thanks, too for sharing the caretaker's kitchen table with us for T this almost Tuesday, too, dear.

Iris Flavia said...

That´s some building indeed! A porch, ohhh, some day!
Wow. A great artist!
Yes, it´s some thought, I always love to investigate "forgotten places".
Uh-oh. A dunny without a window 100 years ago.... hm.
Impressing vehicle. I wonder how to get in there. And bet women wore huge dresses, too. They must´ve been sportive!
Wonderful details in the work there. And.. thank you for pointing it out with the white leaders...

Nonono... don´t stop playing!
It´s always like a little holiday-trip!

Happy T-Day and thank you, this was fun again!

craftytrog said...

A wonderful tour Erika! Lovely to see those beautiful sculptures
Happy Tuesday
Alison

Valerie-Jael said...

Wow, what a fabulous place you visited, I would so love to walk around there and explore everything, except perhaps the WC! The caretaker's home is very basic in comparison. Happy T Day, take care, hugs, Valerie

Lisca said...

I don't mind long blog posts. This one is fascinating. I enjoyed seeing the studio and the sculptures. As you say, he was very talented. I also noted the faces of the (black) soldiers. But I generally don't like art work that seems to glorify war. Gaudens certainly lived in the right time for this sort of thing, so i suppose it was his bread and butter. I like the famous statue of Abraham Lincoln.
The caretaker's quarters are very interesting. Perhaps having a toilet was a luxury in those days. But the difference in living standard is unbelievable for us. Having said that, there are trailer parks near million dollar houses. Not much has changed...
I agree the position of the stove is curious. In fact I see two stoves, neither is connected to a chimney. But hey, they are exhibits in a museum, so it doesn't matter.
Happy T-Day,
Hugs,
Lisca

nwilliams6 said...

Wow, Erika, he was talented! Amazing sculptures. The faces are very detailed and very good. I can imagine how they all felt. Torn apart by the war - families, friends, businesses, homes, etc. Change is painful most time unless it happens over time like a frog boiled in water. Very intesting post - I really enjoyed the pictures. TFS. Happy T-day!!!

Kate Yetter said...

What a stunning studio, from the view and architectural details to the size and elegant interior. It looks like an inspiring place to work. But what a difference between that and his rustic living space. They look like they are out of different time periods.
I loved seeing the sculptures commemorating the Civil War. So much blood shed that should be remembered and so it need not be repeated. He was an amazing artist!
Thank you for sharing all these lovely works art! Glad you had an enjoyable outing with your daughter.
Happy Tea Day,
Kate

Jeanie said...

I thought it was the guy who did the Commons sculpture. It's one of my favorites too and I always look at it every time I'm in Boston (which has been WAY too long!). Tat studio look WAY too neat for an artist! But what a wonderful spot.

Jackie McGuinness said...

I love visiting places like this!

DVArtist said...

Erika, this is a remarkable place. Thank you so much for sharing it. I keep going back to see and read more. A great post.

Let's Art Journal said...

I loved exploring with you today, thanks for sharing 😁. Wishing you a Happy T Day! Hugs Jo x

CJ Kennedy said...

Beautiful work and buildings. The disparity between the caretaker's room and the family home speaks of a distinction in class, too. St. Gaudens also carved the lions at the entrance to the McKim Building (the old Boston Public Library building) Two statues one dedicated to the memory of 20th Massachusetts volunteers, mostly men from Harvard University and the Massachusetts 2nd, mostly Irish immigrants or Irish-Americans. Again, class distinctions. Portraying class or no, St. Gaudens was astonishingly talented. I should see if Himself wants to do another genealogy trip to Lancaster, NH and then maybe we could stop to see the St. Gaudens monument on the way back. Thanks for sharing. Happy T Day. I hope you're keeping warm and dry!

Meggymay said...

Fabulous photos Erika and inspiring art pages. I am always catching up and have good intentions to call more often but life gets in the way.
Stray safe my friend.
Yvonne xx

Empire of the Cat said...

Interesting place - except for the toilet - Yikes! Happy belated T Day Elle/EOTC xx

Divers and Sundry said...

That studio is impressive! I think we're in a 2nd gilded age, when the top 1% get more in interest in an hour than most of us earn in a lifetime. Sad. And maddening.