Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
New book mines region's rich art history
Click image to enlarge
   |
Reviewed by Fran Heller, Contributing Writer
The place where we live helps define who we are, as a society, a region and a city.
In her new book Creative Essence: Cleveland's Sense of Place, author Nina Freedlander Gibans provides a strong sense of Cleveland from an historical and cultural perspective.
Beautifully illustrated and extremely well-researched, Creative Essence is an absorbing read that reflects not only Gibans's keen understanding of the region, but a deep affection for, and pride in, her native Cleveland.
The book is an outgrowth of a series of dialogues that took place in 2000 between members of the art, architectural and cultural communities to identify Cleveland's creative essence. It was also turned into a documentary.
Gibans builds a strong case for what gives the region its singular identity, its history as a mecca for European immigrants and industry, which in turn spawned the birth of a rich artistic and cultural tradition.
The front cover “Public Square, Cleveland, Ohio” depicts a flock of pigeons dwarfed by towering office buildings and a cloud-studded azure sky. This 1994 image was created by internationally known Cleveland photographer Masumi Hayashi, who was tragically killed this past August. The photograph serves as a memorial to this much-beloved artist and teacher, as well as a tribute to the plethora of talented artists who have made this region their home.
Gibans finds her definition of the region in terms of “place,” “people” and “industry.”
“Place” charts the development of the region from an historical perspective. The Indians were the first to arrive, settling along the banks of the Cuyahoga River. Many of the main roads in Cleveland, including Euclid Avenue, Woodhill and Detroit Roads are built over old Indian trails. Those trails were followed by Western settlers who discovered the region's industrial potential and its strategic location on the Cuyahoga River as a passageway for goods. Development of the railroad came next.
At the same time the region was developing industrially, it was also establishing artistic roots. Painting as fine art started here in the 1870s.
An example is Frank Wilcox's watercolor “The General Store,” ca. 1930.
The section marked “People” illuminates the role demographics has played in defining the region's character. Between 1800 and 1850, area population swelled from 45,000 to more than two million. most new arrivals were from Germany, followed by the Irish, who came to escape the potato famines and to work on the railroad, in canal industries and steel mills.
German immigrants had the most significant impact on the cultural life of the city, Gibans points out. Louis Rorimer, son of a German Jewish immigrant, created the Rorimer-Brooks Company, an upscale design and furnishing firm which brought artists and artisans together to serve discerning clients.
Hungarian Jewish immigrant Martin Rose established Rose Iron Works in 1904.
Cleveland's artistic heritage cannot be separated from its industrial and manufacturing heritage. The Cleveland Institute of Art's industrial design program took its creative cue from the region's industrial base. During the Depression, this program, led by Viktor Schreckengost (who recently celebrated his 100th birthday). helped starving and unemployed artists.
A city is first and foremost defined by its architecture, notes Gibans. She cites three distinct periods in the architectural development of the city.
The first was the Burnham Plan, which took root in the first decade of the 20th century. The Mall in downtown Cleveland is an example.
The second phase, 1925-6, centered on the Van Sweringen Brothers, who developed the rapid transit from downtown to Shaker Heights. This gave wealthy people the option of escaping the city's pollution and immigrants.
The visionary Van Sweringens also developed Shaker Square, the second shopping center built in America. In its day, it was accorded national stature.
The third development, still ongoing, is the Erieview Plan, launched in 1960 as a new urban vision.
“Landmarks define the character of the city,” writes Gibans. She supports her premise with images of such architectural landmarks as the elegant Shoreby House and the grandiose Old Arcade (now a Hyatt). Images of Cleveland's churches and synagogues include a picture of the magnificent Byzantine architectural style of The Temple-Tifereth Israel at University Circle.
Architecture continues to shape and define the city with more recent structures such as the Business School at Case Western Reserve University, built by Frank Gehry and the Nathan and Fanny Shafran Planetarium at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Restoration and renovation add to a city's vitality, while preserving its history. Gibans cites Cleveland's jewels, Severance Hall and Playhouse Square Center, as examples of how to preserve and improve upon the past.
She cites the loss of architectural vision and the plight of urban decay in the region in the second half of the 20th century. Chief culprits, she acknowledges, are suburban sprawl and suburban commercial development.
The visual arts have played an indispensable role in Cleveland's history.
Hughie Lee-Smith is the most highly acclaimed African-American artist to have started his career in Cleveland. Schreckengost made his famous “Jazz Bowl” for First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt at Cowan pottery. Northeast Ohio's exemplary watercolor tradition was established by Henry Keller, Frank Wilcox and Charles Burchfield.
Many of the region's most important artists were also dedicated teachers. Paul Travis taught at the Cleveland School of Art for almost 40 years. Another teacher, Carl Gaertner, chose industry as the subject of his canvases. Schreckengost was a pioneer in industrial design, especially toys.
A number of Jewish artists have cast their imprimatur on the region's rich artistic presence, including printmakers Phyllis Sloane and Phyllis Seltzer. Among the clay, textile and glass artists are Cleveland ceramicist Judith Salomon and Akron glass artist Henry Halem.
Sculptor David Davis added to the public landscape with such powerful works as the David Berger National Memorial Monument. He also created the Sculpture Center and the Artists' Archives of the Western Reserve.
Douglas Phillips, an African-American stained-glass artist, created “Burning Bush,” a striking abstract stained-glass screen for Agudath B'nai Israel.
Leonard Hanna and Jeptha H. Wade, were collectors of yore, whose collections formed the basis of The Cleveland Museum of Art. “today's Medicis of the modern age,” (Gibans's term) are the law firms, corporations, banks, and health institutions like The Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals.
University Hospital's fine art collection has evolved under the discerning eye of curator Trudy Wiesenberger. Cleveland Clinic's collection includes the late sculptor, Fred Schmidt's “Freedom Dance,” a dynamic sculptural abstract of two swirling figures. Progressive Insurance Company is credited with assembling one of the top corporate collections in the country
Scholarly, yet reader-friendly, Creative Essence is a rewarding journey for the layperson and art historian alike.
The place where we live helps define who we are, as a society, a region and a city.
In her new book Creative Essence: Cleveland's Sense of Place, author Nina Freedlander Gibans provides a strong sense of Cleveland from an historical and cultural perspective.
Beautifully illustrated and extremely well-researched, Creative Essence is an absorbing read that reflects not only Gibans's keen understanding of the region, but a deep affection for, and pride in, her native Cleveland.
The book is an outgrowth of a series of dialogues that took place in 2000 between members of the art, architectural and cultural communities to identify Cleveland's creative essence. It was also turned into a documentary.
Gibans builds a strong case for what gives the region its singular identity, its history as a mecca for European immigrants and industry, which in turn spawned the birth of a rich artistic and cultural tradition.
The front cover “Public Square, Cleveland, Ohio” depicts a flock of pigeons dwarfed by towering office buildings and a cloud-studded azure sky. This 1994 image was created by internationally known Cleveland photographer Masumi Hayashi, who was tragically killed this past August. The photograph serves as a memorial to this much-beloved artist and teacher, as well as a tribute to the plethora of talented artists who have made this region their home.
Gibans finds her definition of the region in terms of “place,” “people” and “industry.”
“Place” charts the development of the region from an historical perspective. The Indians were the first to arrive, settling along the banks of the Cuyahoga River. Many of the main roads in Cleveland, including Euclid Avenue, Woodhill and Detroit Roads are built over old Indian trails. Those trails were followed by Western settlers who discovered the region's industrial potential and its strategic location on the Cuyahoga River as a passageway for goods. Development of the railroad came next.
At the same time the region was developing industrially, it was also establishing artistic roots. Painting as fine art started here in the 1870s.
An example is Frank Wilcox's watercolor “The General Store,” ca. 1930.
The section marked “People” illuminates the role demographics has played in defining the region's character. Between 1800 and 1850, area population swelled from 45,000 to more than two million. most new arrivals were from Germany, followed by the Irish, who came to escape the potato famines and to work on the railroad, in canal industries and steel mills.
German immigrants had the most significant impact on the cultural life of the city, Gibans points out. Louis Rorimer, son of a German Jewish immigrant, created the Rorimer-Brooks Company, an upscale design and furnishing firm which brought artists and artisans together to serve discerning clients.
Hungarian Jewish immigrant Martin Rose established Rose Iron Works in 1904.
Cleveland's artistic heritage cannot be separated from its industrial and manufacturing heritage. The Cleveland Institute of Art's industrial design program took its creative cue from the region's industrial base. During the Depression, this program, led by Viktor Schreckengost (who recently celebrated his 100th birthday). helped starving and unemployed artists.
A city is first and foremost defined by its architecture, notes Gibans. She cites three distinct periods in the architectural development of the city.
The first was the Burnham Plan, which took root in the first decade of the 20th century. The Mall in downtown Cleveland is an example.
The second phase, 1925-6, centered on the Van Sweringen Brothers, who developed the rapid transit from downtown to Shaker Heights. This gave wealthy people the option of escaping the city's pollution and immigrants.
The visionary Van Sweringens also developed Shaker Square, the second shopping center built in America. In its day, it was accorded national stature.
The third development, still ongoing, is the Erieview Plan, launched in 1960 as a new urban vision.
“Landmarks define the character of the city,” writes Gibans. She supports her premise with images of such architectural landmarks as the elegant Shoreby House and the grandiose Old Arcade (now a Hyatt). Images of Cleveland's churches and synagogues include a picture of the magnificent Byzantine architectural style of The Temple-Tifereth Israel at University Circle.
Architecture continues to shape and define the city with more recent structures such as the Business School at Case Western Reserve University, built by Frank Gehry and the Nathan and Fanny Shafran Planetarium at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Restoration and renovation add to a city's vitality, while preserving its history. Gibans cites Cleveland's jewels, Severance Hall and Playhouse Square Center, as examples of how to preserve and improve upon the past.
She cites the loss of architectural vision and the plight of urban decay in the region in the second half of the 20th century. Chief culprits, she acknowledges, are suburban sprawl and suburban commercial development.
The visual arts have played an indispensable role in Cleveland's history.
Hughie Lee-Smith is the most highly acclaimed African-American artist to have started his career in Cleveland. Schreckengost made his famous “Jazz Bowl” for First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt at Cowan pottery. Northeast Ohio's exemplary watercolor tradition was established by Henry Keller, Frank Wilcox and Charles Burchfield.
Many of the region's most important artists were also dedicated teachers. Paul Travis taught at the Cleveland School of Art for almost 40 years. Another teacher, Carl Gaertner, chose industry as the subject of his canvases. Schreckengost was a pioneer in industrial design, especially toys.
A number of Jewish artists have cast their imprimatur on the region's rich artistic presence, including printmakers Phyllis Sloane and Phyllis Seltzer. Among the clay, textile and glass artists are Cleveland ceramicist Judith Salomon and Akron glass artist Henry Halem.
Sculptor David Davis added to the public landscape with such powerful works as the David Berger National Memorial Monument. He also created the Sculpture Center and the Artists' Archives of the Western Reserve.
Douglas Phillips, an African-American stained-glass artist, created “Burning Bush,” a striking abstract stained-glass screen for Agudath B'nai Israel.
Leonard Hanna and Jeptha H. Wade, were collectors of yore, whose collections formed the basis of The Cleveland Museum of Art. “today's Medicis of the modern age,” (Gibans's term) are the law firms, corporations, banks, and health institutions like The Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals.
University Hospital's fine art collection has evolved under the discerning eye of curator Trudy Wiesenberger. Cleveland Clinic's collection includes the late sculptor, Fred Schmidt's “Freedom Dance,” a dynamic sculptural abstract of two swirling figures. Progressive Insurance Company is credited with assembling one of the top corporate collections in the country
Scholarly, yet reader-friendly, Creative Essence is a rewarding journey for the layperson and art historian alike.
 |
||
| Readers discover critics' darling, Cynthia Ozick |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of clevelandjewishnews.com.
You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments. Registration is free.
Registered users sign in here: |
Become a Registered User |
