These murals, commissioned by The Friends of Holland Park, were painted by Mao Wen Biao between April 1994 and May 1995. They show an imaginary scene from one of the garden parties which used to be held by the Earl of Ilchester in the grounds of Holland House in the 1870's.
In 1915, when the Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) opened, it was a time of turmoil for the world and for the City of San Francisco.
The city was still recovering from the great earthquake of 1906, and the whole western world was facing economic and political tensions of WWI.
The civic leaders of San Francisco envisioned a bold plan to bring the world together to encourage trade and to demonstrate that a rebuilt San Francisco would become a truly international city.
Architect Bernard R. Maybeck, student of the École des Beaux-Arts, wanted to evoke the atmosphere of a Roman Ruin. This was achieved with its soaring colonnade, grand rotunda, and carefully constructed pond.
However, Maybeck also wanted to convey a sense of solemnity, which is most evident as one observes the “weeping ladies” facing into the tops of the columns throughout the park.
Inspiration for these motifs is thought to be Maybeck's visit to a Munich museum, where he observed artwork by the Hungarian artist István Csók’s. Specifically, Csòk's painting "Erzsébet Báthory," depicting the notorious Polish princess throwing freezing water on her naked servants.
(wanted to link to the Hungarian National Gallery, where an iteration is viewable online, but the site is down currently)
Maybeck was also influenced by Arnold Böcklin’s Isle of the Dead. This popular work depicts a small island with towering rocks surrounded by water, with trees at the core of the island, and a boatman with mysterious passenger approaching a dark inlet.
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After the fair, most of the buildings at the PPIE, which were never meant to be permanent, were torn down. The exception of course being the Palace of Fine Arts - mostly due to a movement of citizens protesting that the Palace was too beautiful to destroy.
Consistent with his design concept, Maybeck had intended that the Palace should just fall into ruin, and so, for a long time, it did.
In 1959, Assemblyman Caspar Weinberger led the effort to completely restore the Palace. Public and private funding efforts were underway, but philanthropist Walter S. Johnson contributed the final $2MM necessary to completely restore the Palace into a permanent structure.
A 501(c)3 non-profit, The Palace of Fine Arts League, was established in 1962, followed by the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in 1970. The Palace of Fine Arts League continues to operate the theater today, honoring the legacy of Maybeck and the many others who have contributed to the rich cultural fabric of San Francisco.
I stopped by Leighton House on Thursday. I arrived too late to tour the house, but still got to visit the free exhibition in the basement and the beautiful garden, a place whose serenity seems to emanate from this painting 😌
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