MLAPA » Beverly Hills http://www.mlapa.org Mapping Los Angeles Public Art Fri, 12 Aug 2011 21:57:54 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 The Electric Fountain in Beverly Hills http://www.mlapa.org/the-electric-fountain-in-beverly-hills/ http://www.mlapa.org/the-electric-fountain-in-beverly-hills/#comments Thu, 17 Jun 2010 01:42:36 +0000 LisaNewton http://www.mlapa.org/?p=252 Located at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills, is the “Electric Fountain.”

Originally unveiled in 1931–at a then cost of $22,000–Electric Fountain was, at the time, a state-of-the-art timed fountain. Its water jets and color effects are timed for 60 different combination’s every 8 minutes. At its unveiling, the Fountain stopped traffic for hours, so people could watch; indeed its magnificence remains to the present.

The different water patterns are wonderful to watch; but upon further examination, the Electric Fountain is a lot more than just its water jets and color effects.

Why the Electric Fountain is a great Fountain and Sculpture

Light and Water

1. I’ve already mentioned the timed color effects. Here’s a photo of its affect and use of water and light.

Take a seat

2. An often overlooked aspect of many an outdoor sculpture, fountain, or statue is a fairly basic concept, which many artists omit, but one that should be incorporated for people to fully enjoy appreciating the perfect fountain—seating. As seen here–in the form of several long benches–this Electric Fountain provides many a place for people to relax and enjoy the magnificence and beauty of the spraying art work, and water structure.

Decorative Tile

3. The decorative tile which surrounds the entire fountain; adding color, depth, intensity, and history to the fountain.

The Plaque

4. I’m a big believer in having plaques for art work, which helps people learn the story behind the story about that particular piece of art and the artist–and the people who helped make it possible. Here’s the one for Electric Fountain. Put another way, when you go to a museum or gallery, instinctively you want to know who the artist is, the type of material used, when it was made, and the name of the piece. And that’s for starters.

Exquisite fine details

5. Small and exquisite fine details that help to tell its viewers a story; and helping them understand the installation a bit more and, of course, leaving the visitors wanting for more.

Fountain Head

6. A figure head at the top of a fountain creates symmetry, and a focal point.

From across the street

7. Decorative protective barriers are an added plus; along with a perfectly manicured space and garden.

Hollywood in the Distance

8. When a fountain has supplementary places of significance surrounding it, everybody enjoys these visible details every time they visit.

Although I can think of many more ways and means, that makes this striking Electric Fountain stand out and takes you from the ordinary into the realm of the extraordinary; we’ll leave a little mystery for you to come to your own conclusions.

Being able to sit, relax, watch, and listen to the synchronized sounds of a fountain– even in the hustle and bustle of Christmas Eve in Beverly Hills—makes this “Electric Fountain” a Los Angeles treasure.

]]> http://www.mlapa.org/the-electric-fountain-in-beverly-hills/feed/ 0 A Street Corner in Beverly Hills http://www.mlapa.org/a-street-corner-in-beverly-hills/ http://www.mlapa.org/a-street-corner-in-beverly-hills/#comments Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:55:57 +0000 LisaNewton http://www.mlapa.org/?p=222 TL11-22

On one street corner in Beverly Hills, are three unique public works of art–all very different, put together by its artists and sculptors with diverse mediums–with totally different perspectives and points of view.

Sisyphus

At the intersection of Burton Way and North Rexford Drive, as pictured above, you’ll encounter this 10’ high, red mixture of painted and twisted steel, entitled “Sisyphus,” In classical mythology, Sisyphus was a cruel king who was condemned and subsequently forced to roll an enormous boulder to the top of a steep hill. Of course, such as fate goes, every time that Sisyphus was able to push the boulder near the top of the mountain, it would roll back down, and Sisyphus would have to start over. And over, and over.

The sculptor of this whimsical and complicated piece of sculpture is, Alexander Liberman. The artist Liberman, also worked for over 30 years in various art positions at the famed publication, Vogue, and actually did not start creating sculpture until he was late into his 40’s.

Spiral of Life

Looking to the right of Liberman’s maze of red steel, is this visually stunning sculpture, entitled the “Spiral of Life” by artist Baile Oakes.

Crafted entirely out of redwood this sculpture brings life to wood, but in the end, it will eventually return back to earth. Oakes’ stated artistic dream and mission is to "use visual language to help bring our culture to a fuller understanding of our place within the living systems of the Earth." He is a participating artist in the GreenMuseum.org, an online museum dedicated to environmental art.

Home

Lastly, around the corner on the left is home to “Home” by sculptor and artist, Charles Arnoldi. Made of cast bronze, with its tactile and façade resembling finger like painting on the outside, it evokes a feeling of a familiar habitat, because of its wide berth beckoning its viewers to enter its cavernous opening.

As seen from these pictures, it was another great day in Southern California, and although right now we don’t technically have a fall season in full or any “swing,” a few trees do have leaves that have changed colors, and there is some crispness in the air.

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