Noguchi Fountain (1976) - by Isamu Noguchi

 

Noguchi Fountain - by Isamu Noguchi

1976 

Celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the Founding of the Republic

Granite and stainless steel, L 50 ft. 

Location: The Art Institute of Chicago, east façade Columbus Dr. between Monroe St. and Jackson Blvd.

Commissioned by the B.F. Ferguson Monument Fund 

Here is YouTube video of the fountain... Noguchi Fountain, click here..

A commemoration of the American Bicentennial, Celebration integrates the visual poetry of a Japanese garden with the precision of modern technology. Because he was deeply affected by the duality of his heritage, California-born sculptor Isamu Noguchi always tried to fuse diverse influences in his art. He selected three-million-year-old rainbow granite from a Minnesota quarry for this fountain and used state-of-the-art power tools to shape it. The geometric shapes actually represent forms from nature. The upright, L-shaped pillar is “like a tree,” said the sculptor, with water rising up the tall column and flowing down its front. Water also spills out from the low horizontal cylinder, which is split down the middle to resemble a natural spring.

The water flows out of the low horizontal cylinder, 

which is split from the middle to resemble a natural spring.