John:
I went to one of my books for some information:
"Rockefeller Center, Rheinhard and Hofmeister et al. Archs. 1931-1939.
Originally a site for a new Metropolitan Opera House, the 1929 stock market
crash left John D. Rockefeller holding a long lease for a project in which
he had lost his other partners. A philosophy professor devised a scheme
entitled "New Frontiers and the March of Civilization" , underscoring the
role of international technological and business systems which was executed
by 14 sculptors- including Lee Lawrie, Leo Friedlander, Carl Jennewein,
Attilio Piccirilli and Albert Janiot- assigned to 60 individual parts.
Rockefeller's wife, Abby Aldrich, seems to have been influential in
introducing William Zorach, Robert Laurent and Isamu Noguchi as
participating sculptors"
"Sculpture 1900-1945" Penelope Curtis, Oxford Univ. Press, 1999
I worked on about 10 different reliefs. I remember one Lawrie work, there
may have been more than one by him. I can't remember if it was on the RCA
building. It faces the Ice Rink on the south side. it depicts a large,
robust female figure, Pegasus and an eagle. All of the reliefs are carved
from Indiana Limestone, the same stone as the building veneer. All are
ploychromed in various degrees.
At that time, Brisk Co. was re-pointing a large part of the complex and
were required to utilize "sensitive" stone masons ( if you can put these two
things together) to work on the sculptures. The complex had been re-pointed
before. The original soft mortar had been raked out and replaced with an
epoxy, hard as glass mortar. We new this because the sculptures had never
been touched since installation. The original 1/4" joints between the stones
making up each relief were never raked out and contained original mortar. On
one, I removed mortar and found pieces of tightly rolled up newspaper, that
an original mason had used as a sort of "backer rod". I could make out
inforamtion about "DeSoto" car info. and Lou Gehrig's playing that day.
That was fun to see and I eventually pressed the pieces behing glass. They
look something like the "Dead Sea Scrolls" now. The joints in building
veneer next to the sculptures had been over-cut during prior re-pointing
campaigns, to widths as wide as 5/8'.
We performed sensitive re-pointing and repaired missing anatomical parts of
the sculptures with Jahn mortar and dutchman. Our work was followed by the
paint conservators.
Speaking of "workability", we had to sculpt the mortar in the joints to
conform with the changing contours of the sculpture. We were required to use
the same mix as was being used on the rest of the building and it was too
sandy and not "plastic" enough to do what we needed to do. It was a
struggle. The powers that were, would not hear of it. An early lesson
learned.
Lawrie executed the "Reredo" in St. Thomas Church, up the street from
Rockefeller Center, at 5th Ave and 53rd st. That work is a towering wall of
stone saints in niches and quite impressive. A bit old fashioned when
compared to his work further south.
My opinion of Lawrie, is that he was an in between sort of artist. He worked
in a transition period, when sculptors in America were moving from executors
of architectural and monumental work, to studio artists, creating personal
works that would be sold in galleries to private collectors and patrons.
This transition mirrored the change in architectural styles toward glass and
steel and the end of the "City Beautiful Movement". Isamu Noguchi would be
one of the sculptors who found early patronage at Rock. Center but was then
able to adapt with the changing times. This visual history makes the Center
an even richer place for me, besides remembering the time I went ice skating
there with my first girlfriend Janice in highschool.
That was a pretty sweet time too!
My favorite works there are the Leo Friedlander nudes on 49th st., the Isamu
Noguchi stainless steel relief on the Associated Press Building, the Gaston
LaChaise relief facing the Noguchi and the Piccirili cast glass relief on
5th ave. Check them out sometime.
Abby Aldrich(INelson's mother?), was the force behind the founding of the
Museum of Modern Art. I guess it was unfair of Diego Rivera to paint John D.
among the evil capitalists afterall.
Respectfully, Nick M.
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