By: Matthew White
Walking south on Broad Street heading to center city in Philadelphia one cannot help but notice a paintbrush piercing the sky as city hall falls in behind it as a perfect background. This paintbrush is a blue 51-foot sculpture raised at a 60 degree angle and it almost looks as if it is painting the sky. This brush is accompanied by a 6-foot tall glob of paint on the ground that is an orange red color and as night falls both the top of the brush and the paint illuminate and light up the night. This sculpture is named The Paint Torch and it provides the entrance into Lenfest plaza. The plaza is located on Cherry Street in between Carlsile Street and Broad Street. As one walks down Lenfest Plaza they are accompanied be the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts directly to the right of the right. This academy was the first school and museum of art in America. A historical and visually pleasing building, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts presents a perfect shield to the rest of the city and makes one feel as if they are in a world are their own. Both of these pieces of art truly represent Philadelphia through art, but first lets look at the rest of the plaza.
When walking down the plaza a huge sculpture of a crashing plane lays directly in the middle of the walkway. This sculpture is a true piece of art, but it is not only that, it is also a functioning green house. Grumman’s green house is a previous Cold War S2F combat plane that has been transformed and remade into a functioning green house. This sculpture has been transformed to look as if it is a plane crash happening right before your eyes with the left wing bent and disfigured and the nose of the pain heading directly into the ground, it makes for a very interesting piece for one to wrap their brain around. This plaza does not only incorporate the museum and sculptures but it also incorporates performing arts with a stage located in the front of the plaza. This stage is free to use at any time by any performer and truly amazing hme grown talents will be seen there from time to time if you happen to walk by at the right moment. Along with all of these features, Lenfest plaza is suited with some flowing benches that lay parallel to Cherry Street and with these the plaza is complete with a feel of relaxation and excitement all at the same time. Lenfest plaza has some great pieces of art and history incorporates with it but there is some deeper meaning behind all of it. Lenfest Plaza truly embodies the feel and culture of Philadelphia through art and it does this in a number of ways.
The Paint Torch
The Paint Torch is a significant piece of art not only for its visual purposes but also for its meaning and its relationship to the city of Philadelphia and also to Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. There are two meanings behind The Paint Torch and the first is the paintbrush itself. Claes Oldenburg the world-renowned artists who created the paint torch designed this piece to be in the precise location it sits now (Lenfest Plaza). With the location being what it is the brush signifies the importance of art in the community of Philadelphia and in the academy that accompanies it. Oldenburg wanted to create a piece like this in a place where art matters and where the art of painting with a brush is actually practiced (Lenfest Plaza). He did both with his sculpture of The Paint Torch, simply because it resides in the art district of Philadelphia. Not only that but as stated before it lies next to the Pennsylvania Institute of Fine arts and painting with a brush is taught, practiced and displayed there every day.
The Paint Torch is not only a symbol for painting with a brush and a piece that signifies art, but it is also one that makes a much greater statement then that. The torch illuminates at night and with this illumination it signifies a few things in relation to the culture of Philadelphia. First it signifies the first true place of art in the new world. The illumination is almost a highlight of the Pennsylvania Institute of Fine Arts showing what it is, where it is, and most importantly the history of it as the first school and museum of art this Philadelphia, and all of America. The torch is not only a symbol of the first art institute of America bit is also signifies liberty and freedom. Much like the torch of the Stature of Liberty, the light of The Paint Torch signifies liberty to the nation and is a true signifier of Philadelphia culture and history (Lenfest Plaza). As a key leader to America’s independence, Philadelphia has always been a crucial city for liberty, dating all the way back to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The paint torch embodies this idea perfectly with its bright torch and paint glob showing true liberty and independence while relating to the city’s history of freedom. Oldneburg did a fantastic job with this piece of art, and it serves as a gateway to the rest of the plaza perfectly.
The Academy
The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts is also a huge part of Lenfest plaza. With its origins in 1805, painter Charles Wilson Peale and sculptor William Rush funded the academy as the first academy of fine arts in the nation. When walking east to west down the plaza the Academy is located on the right and the building that stands today was designed and created in 1876 by the American architects Frank Furness and George W. Hewitt (History and Timeline). The art academy trained many prominent American artist including Tomas Ekakins, Mary Cassatt, Maxfeild Parrish, John Marin, Charles Demuth and many more (History and Timeline). The Academy is a large landmark in not only Philadelphia but mainly in the art sector of Philadelphia. It marks the beginning of museum mile, which incorporates the Philadelphia art Museum, the Rodin exhibit and many more. This building is a huge part of Philadelphia culture and of Lenfest Plaza. It continues to teach arts and continues to show art exhibitions and pieces. Many people travel far to see this Academy and the history of it cannot be overstated. The fact that Lenfest Plaza is located directly next to it and the fact that it completely incorporates the academy is a blessing in disguise. It gives the Plaza a much greater purpose and also allows it to relate to Philadelphia history and culture in a way that it never could without the academy. The academy was the first of its kind and it is surely going to continue producing and showing great artists and pieces of art, but most importantly it will continue to add culture and texture to Lenfest Plaza as long as both are still around.
The Gruman Greenhouse
Another sculpture in the plaza is a direct exhibit of the changing culture of Philadelphia both artistically and environmentally. The Grumman Greenhouse as stated before is a sculpture of a crashing plane located on the west end of Lenfest plaza. It is not only a sculpture, but it is also a greenhouse and it shows the ever changing way that art can be used in practical ways as well as adding to and exhibiting Philadelphia culture. As one of two functioning greenhouses as pieces of art in Philadelphia, The Grumman Greenhouse shows that art can still be beautiful and meaningful and still serve a purpose. The fact that it is one of two of its kind in Philadelphia, the other being a 125 mini greenhouse art piece in the American Philosophical Society Museum in Philadelphia, shows that the culture of the city is beginning to change into a more environmentally friendly culture and that it will continue to do so (125 Jewel-Colored Mini-Greenhouses). The sculpture itself is environmentally friendly as it is a recycled Cold War S2F combat plane (Grumman Greenhouse). The plane has completely been gutted out and everything inside has been removed. It has also been turned on its nose and now looks like the plane is literally crashing into the ground in front of one’s eyes. The planes left wing is not bent and moved as well as the cockpit to make it look like the plane is falling apart and its passengers are doomed. The fact of the matter is, there are no true passengers that are doomed but a much different thing occupying the inside. The plane is now equipped with florescent growing lamps as well as plants harvested and sold in local markets plane (Grumman Greenhouse). This new biosphere is a wonderful play on art and the practical use it can play. The sculpture was originally only supposed to be placed there for one year but the contract for the piece has been renewed until the end of 2013 at least and possibly longer. This 25 foot sculpture and biosphere will continue to create enthusiasm and foster new innovation wherever it may go but with its environmental impact and embodiment of Philadelphia culture one can only hope it will remain in Lenfest Plaza permanently.
The Culture
The culture of the Plaza does not only rely on the art that is presented in it as sculptures and Academy’s but it also incorporates performing arts as well. Lenfest plaza is equipped with a stage for performing acts to utilize and broadcast their music over. With small performances from time to time Lenfest Plaza shows that Philadelphia culture does not have to be shown on a big scale but can be shown in just a few hours by local talents performing on their stage. The stage incorporates the culture of Philadelphia almost as much as the sculptures if not more simply because it shows the people of Philadelphia and what they can create in artistic ways. What is shown and performed on the stage is a great testament to the diversity and artistic ability of Lenfest Plaza as well as a great encapsulation of Philadelphia culture. The Plaza is not only home to a stage but it is also home to some outdoor seating to the restaurant located on the bottom floor of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. This also shows that Philadelphia culture is embodied in the plaza because it is not just art shown it is also the food that is being eaten in a certain place that helps define the culture there. With Philadelphia food and Philadelphia music, Lenfest Plaza could not be a better representation of Philadelphia culture and history.
Lenfest plaza is a great place to visit to get a taste of Philadelphia, literally and figuratively. With its 51-foot tall sculpture named The Paint Torch and its 25-foot tall sculpture named Grumman Greenhouse, along with The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the performances and food served there, it completely embodies Philadelphia culture. As long as Lenfest Plaza is still around there will always be a place to view Philadelphia through art.
Works cited
“125 Jewel-Colored Mini-Greenhouses Spring up in Philadelphia | Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building.” Inhabitat Sustainable Design Innovation Eco Architecture Green Building 125 JewelColored MiniGreenhouses Spring up in Philadelphia Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
“Grumman Greenhouse.” Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
“History and Timeline.” Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
“Lenfest Plaza.” Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
Writing Workshop Fall 2013 