The landscape
planting in the boxes, in the flower beds and above, is one of the
enduring attractions of this colonnade and walk. The green is
architecturally massed and the relief of flowers bright and delicate,
never intrusive.
The Pioneer Mother
Exhibit, Fine Arts Colonnade
The "Pioneer Mother" monument, by Charles Grafly, is a permanent bronze,
a tribute by the people of the West to the women who laid the foundation
of their welfare. It is to stand in the San Francisco Civic Center,
where its masterful simplicity will be more impressive than in this
colorful colonnade. It is a true addition to noteworthy American works
of art and fully expresses the spirit of this courageous motherhood,
tender but strong, adventurous but womanly, enduring but not humble. It
has escaped every pitfall of mawkishness, stubbornly refused to descend
to mere prettiness, and lived up to the noblest possibilities of its
theme. The strong guiding hands, the firmly set feet, the clear, broad
brow of the Mother and the uncompromisingly simple, sculpturally pure
lines of figure and garments are honest and commanding in beauty. The
children, too, are modeled with affectionate sincerity and are a
realistic interpretation of childish charm. Oxen skulls, pine cones,
leaves and cacti decorate the base; the panels show the old sailing
vessel, the Golden Gate and the trans-continental trails.
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