Spring in Bridgeville means a refreshing of the Public Art Bridgeville outdoor sculpture exhibits and another opportunity for us to present our comments on an art form for which we have no critical qualifications. This year we have four pieces that have been held over for another year by popular demand and three brand new ones. We will employ the tried-and-true gimmick of the self-guided tour as a format for reviewing them.
Let’s begin at Triangle Park where we have an exciting new piece and a particularly attractive (to my eyes) carryover. The new piece is another impressive sculpture from the Seward Johnson Atelier, entitled “Monet”. It is a realistic depiction of a painter with his easel set up in the Park, hard at work producing a painting of the Bridgeville Area Historical Society History Center (the former Pennsylvania Railroad passenger station). The actual painting on the easel is a reasonable facsimile of the scene he is painting, although it is too close to completion to suit me. This sculpture has attracted a lot of attention; it is quite easy to believe it is an actual artist at work.
The choice of the title “Monet” is indeed appropriate. Mr. Johnson was obsessed with the Impressionist movement; Claude Monet was one of the young French artists whose experiments with realistic subjects painted in direct sunlight (en plein air) were a sharp deviation from the classical style of their predecessors, who painted in studios with an emphasis on verisimilitude. The very name of the movement came from a Monet masterpiece, “Impression, Sunrise”. I am delighted Monsieur Monet has elected to spend some time in Bridgeville; perhaps the Historical Society can get his permission to sell copies of the work he is producing.
The other piece in Triangle Park is “Daphne”, by the late Peter Calaboyias. Born in Greece, he grew up in Johnstown, was educated at Penn State and IUP and taught for many years in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, at CCAC, and at Grove City. Daphne, of course, comes to us from Greek mythology. Her father, the river god Peneus, turned her into a laurel tree to save her from the unwanted advances of Apollo, making her a symbol of purity and freedom and of the merging between humans and nature. The story of Daphne and Apollo has been the subject of many classical sculptures; Mr. Calaoyias’ version is a worthy successor to them.
Now let’s take a shortcut along the railroad to Bower Hill Road, turn left and follow it to Carol Avenue and the Municipal Building where we can pay our respects to “Special Delivery”, another popular Seward Johnson piece which has been held over from last year. It depicts a postal letter carrier, authentically accoutered as he would have been five decades ago. The exhibit curator wanted to move this piece to the post office this year but couldn’t, because there was no security camera available at that site. Unfortunately, this piece was vandalized last year and had to be put on the disabled list for a few months while it was repainted. It is sad to realize that we are living in “the Brave New World” where we must depend upon spy cameras for our safety.
We will now walk up to Washington Avenue where we are treated to another pair of sculptures, one new and one a welcome repeater. The new one is “Feather”, by Kirk Seese, of Lutherville, Maryland. Mr. Seese developed a unique genre recently after a long career of mural painting. Although “Feather” initially appears to be a special application of stained-glass technology, it actually is a three-dimensional feather-shaped sculpture that is constructed from plywood by a CNC (computer numerical control) machine, then has the faux stained glass pattern printed directly on it by a flatbed printer before being coated with epoxy resin. The result is a memorable piece.
On the other side of Bower Hill Road is one of my personal favorites, “Hyperbolic Wind”, by Bob Doster, of Lancaster, South Carolina. Mr. Doster is a particularly talented worker in metal sheets. This piece is one of a series of highly acclaimed works inspired by wind and its effects on tangible objects. Consisting of stainless-steel plates deformed into hyperbolas, it is a perfect example of artwork that conveniently straddles the transition from realistic to abstract.
Let’s cross the street here and walk south to the parking lot adjacent to Greer Chiropractic (still the Bridgeville Trust, to me) where we find “Transformation 2”, by Ray Katz of Pontiac, Michigan. Another talented worker in steel, his pieces are intriguing combinations of inter-twined geometric shapes; “Transformation 2” is an excellent example of his craft. Like most non-representational artwork, I find this piece to be interesting and attractive, but I still wish I understood the thought process that produced it.
We will cross the street here and continue south on Washington Avenue and walk down to the parking lot by La Bella Bean where we are delighted to see that the two ladies sitting on the bench there (“Crossing Paths”) has been held over for another year. Another highly popular Seward Johnson production, this piece always brings a grin to folks seeing it.
That brings us to the end of this year’s self-guided tour and the opportunity to sit on the bench with the “Crossing Paths” gals and reflect on what we have seen. This group of objets d’art runs the gamut from the remarkably life-like Seward Johnson pieces that shout their authenticity to the mysterious logic behind “Transformation 2”. The total experience reinforces our resolve to be open-minded and tolerant of all tastes. At any rate, we are grateful to Public Art Bridgeville for their continued effort to make our community the cultural center of the Chartiers Valley.