Greek Mythology

Public Art

Public Art Spotlight: Hogan's Fountain by Enid Yandell

Photo: Metro Louisville Commission on Public Art

Photo: Metro Louisville Commission on Public Art

 We call attention to Enid Yandell at the end of 2019, which was her 150th birthday, and as we move into 2020, which is the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution giving women the right to vote. Yandell was an ardent member of the suffragist movement and an internationally recognized artist who studied with Frederick MacMonnies and Auguste Rodin in Paris. In 1898 she became the first woman inducted into the National Sculpture Society.

Yandell created some of Louisville’s most venerable and familiar public sculptures and her birthday was recognized with seven exhibits at various locations throughout the year, and in March her Hometown Hero banner, one of the last of that series, was installed on the Harbison Condominiums building near Fort Nelson Park, located at Seventh and Main streets in Louisville Kentucky.

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The Metro Louisville Committee on Public Art (COPA) website relates the history of Hogan’s Fountain:

“In 1903, not long after the completion of Ruff Memorial Fountain and Wheelman's Bench, Yandell was approached by General John Breckinridge Castleman (1841—1918), founder of the Louisville Parks Department and a close friend of the Yandell family, to design a fountain for Cherokee Park. Hogan's Fountain was commissioned by prominent merchant William J. Hogan and his wife, who actively collaborated with Yandell about the choice of subject matter. By that time, Yandell was living and working from her studio in Paris, where she created the Louisville work and had it shipped to the States for construction.” 

“Hogan's Fountain, which was originally intended as a watering fountain for horses and dogs, is topped with a small bronze figure of the mythical Pan, god of nature, the wild, shepherds, flocks, and goats, among other things. Pan, who has the body of a human but the hindquarters and legs of a goat, appears to dance in a patch of lily pads and cattails, holding his famous lute above his head, presumably having just used it to call the animals of the nearby park. Yandell represents Pan's "flock" below, where bronze turtles spout water into the large basin and, located underneath at the base of the fountain, several small dog heads act as water fountains for park—goers' leashed dogs. Yandell, always intent to capture her subjects accurately, is said to have modeled the bronze turtles from live turtles she found near Louisville.”
(KTF)

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For many who came of age in Louisville, the fountain was a touchstone for after school gatherings and family events, the broad, open space surrounded by trees with its nearby pavilion comprising arguably the most welcoming spot in Cherokee Park.  

And, not surprisingly, Hogan’s Fountain is the subject of an urban legend that allows that, at every full moon the statue of Pan comes down from the perch to wander the park, creating mischief for innocent passers by.

Hogan’s Fountain
1905
Bronze/Vermont Granite

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Hogan's Fountain/Pan, c. 1906-1916

Hogan's Fountain/Pan, c. 1906-1916

Hogan’s Fountain at Cherokee Park, 1905. Historic photo provided by the University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections, Claude C. Matlack Collection.

Hogan’s Fountain at Cherokee Park, 1905. Historic photo provided by the University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections, Claude C. Matlack Collection.


Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2019 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved. In addition to his work at the LVA, Keith is also the Managing Editor of a website, Arts-Louisville.com, which covers local visual arts, theatre, and music in Louisville. 

Drawing

Student Spotlight: Annalise Fegan

"Adikia" by Annalise Fegan, pencil, digital, 8.5x11in, 2017, NFS

"Adikia" by Annalise Fegan, pencil, digital, 8.5x11in, 2017, NFS


God created man (human) kind in His own image - that’s Christian belief. Whatever else you believe, it is difficult to argue that the Greeks invented gods in humankind’s image; a parade of richly drawn characters that reflect the nobility and indignity of humanity. The best of us and the worst us, for the gods were just as capable of petty jealousy and recrimination as their human creators, and it could be argued that the Greeks were explaining away their own frailty by imaging that even a deity might have feet of clay.

Annalise Fegan is a fine art student in the midst of creating a series of drawings that do the same thing for contemporary American society:

“This particular body of work combines my drawing style with my interest in mythology, as well as bringing in a critique of the modern world. These drawings are part of a series where I reimagined the Classic Greek pantheon, replacing figures like Zeus and Aphrodite with lesser mythological figures, such as Adikia, the goddess of injustice, and Phthonos, who represents jealousy. The purpose of this work was to create a pantheon of deities that represent what is really ‘worshipped’ in America. There is Plutus, god of wealth, Aergia, goddess of laziness, Eris, goddess of discord, among others. These figures are less well known, though clues to their characters have been incorporated into their design. Color was also chosen based on association with respective traits.”

"Phthonos" by Annalise Fegan, pencil, digital, 8.5x11in, 2017, NFS

"Phthonos" by Annalise Fegan, pencil, digital, 8.5x11in, 2017, NFS

 

Fegan is inspired by illustrations from children’s literature. “I was particularly fascinated with myths and fairy tales. One of my favorite painters is John William Waterhouse, an English Romantic painter, because his work features mythological figures. Several children’s book illustrators, including Jan Brett, Maurice Sendak, and Doris Burn have influenced my drawing style.”

The mix of English Romanticism and Classical Mythology that Fegan mines from Waterhouse is a curious but potentially intoxicating aesthetic with which to frame social commentary in the 21st century. It is unique for this moment, to say the least, so perhaps Fegan has already passed the first crucial hurdle in maturing as an artist.

 

Hometown: Stanford, Kentucky
Education: 2014 – current, BFA candidate, Drawing and Painting with a concentration in Illustration, Kentucky College of Art + Design at Spalding University, Louisville KY

 

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"Aergia" by Annalise Fegan, pencil, digital, 8.5x11in, 2017, NFS

"Aergia" by Annalise Fegan, pencil, digital, 8.5x11in, 2017, NFS

"Aergia" by Annalise Fegan, pencil, digital, 8.5x11in, 2017, NFS

"Aergia" by Annalise Fegan, pencil, digital, 8.5x11in, 2017, NFS

"Plutus" by Annalise Fegan, pencil, digital, 8.5x11in, 2017, NFS

"Plutus" by Annalise Fegan, pencil, digital, 8.5x11in, 2017, NFS


Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2017 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved.

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