This pair of bronze sculptures are scaled-down replicas of monumental statues Adolph Alexander Winman design to crown two fountains at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. The event was held to celebrate the completion of hte Panama Canal.
The upward looking youth depicted in Rising Sun (left) represents passion filling the soul at the dawn of a new day. His companion, the inward turning and more contemplative Descending Night (right), symbolizes quiet repose at nightfall.
Weinman, who was born in Germany and came to America in 1880, later designed the US “Walking Liberty” silver half dollar and so-called Mercury dime.
These sculptures are on view in the Bow Gallery in the Kinkead Pavilion on the north side of Krannert Art Museum, beginning in March 2017.
Text by Maureen Warren, curator of European and American Art, 2017
