“Time goes, you say? Ah no! Alas, Time stays, we go” [Henry Austin Dobson]

“…as a whole, the monumental sculpture is essentially a joyous celebration of the moment with all the splendor and pageantry of life” (160).

The Book

Lorado Taft: The Chicago Years by Allen Stuart Weller introduces the reader to an American sculpture who left a mark on Chicago. In a sense, it is a professional and personal biography-intertwining personal letters with sculpture commissions.

Taft returned to Illinois in 1886, after spending several years studying at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. His early years in Chicago were spent lecturing at the Art Institute and sculpting busts and Civil War monuments. The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition shaped Taft’s view of public art (p. 68) and provided him the opportunity to work on a larger scale. In 1906, Taft opened his Midway Studios on the campus of the University of Chicago. 

Taft planned to develop a sculpture park where the Midway was during the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. In 1912, Taft received a commission from the Art Institute for the Fountain of Time (based on the first lines of Dobson’s poem Paradox of Time): a look at how time stands still and our lives move past it.  The sculpture includes 80 figures (plus the figure of Time); it is 120 feet long, 18 feet wide, and 14 feet wide. Taft originally wanted it cast in marble, but choose concrete because of the size. Dedicated in 1922, the Fountain of Time is the only completed part of the planned sculpture park.

While Lorado Taft would be classified as an academic book, it is written in a way that anyone can read. Chapters are spent on Taft’s work with his students and the breadth of writing he completed, in addition to a chronological look at his time in Chicago. The author sometimes presents an artistic critique and look at Taft’s development as an artist. One of the aspects of the book I really liked, was the encouragement for the reader to look up any images mentioned that weren’t included in the book. I found myself doing this quite frequently, to help supplement what I was learning. The book does include many images that provide a look into Taft’s studio, sculpture at various levels of completion, and the people he interacted with.

The Place
Lorado Taft’s Fountain of Time is located in Washington Park, not too far from the University of Chicago’s campus. The sculpture sits at the end of a long road and seems to draw your attention from whatever angle you approach. The sculpture is 360 degrees, so visitors have the opportunity to walk completely around it. It is an interesting experience to contemplate the first line of Dobson’s poem, while viewing the people passing before Time. Unfortunately, the fountain is no longer operating, but this does not take away from the impact of the sculpture.

The purpose for our visit to Washington Park was to see the Fountain of Time. The park is open all day, every day and has ample street parking. Visitors can find a variety of indoor and outdoor activities, as well as special events.