Joy of the Waters

About the Art

Made of bronze using the lost wax process—a multi-step process using plaster, wax, sand, and molten bronze—this sculpture depicts a woman in mid-jump. Arms stretched upwards, knee raised and lifting onto the toes of the opposite leg, this dynamic composition communicates movement frozen in time for us to examine a pose that would have lasted a fraction of a second.

Born in Philadelphia in 1880, Frishmuth spent much of her youth in Europe. Like many sculptors at that time, she was influenced by the naturalism and movement explored in the works of French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840–1917). Frishmuth credited him with teaching her two things: “First, always look at the silhouette of a subject and be guided by it; second, remember that movement is the transition from one attitude to another. It is a bit of what was and a bit of what is to be.” Looking at this figure in motion, the viewer is pulled into the imagined story of what came before and what happens next.

FEATURED IMAGE
Harriet Whitney Frishmuth (American, 1880–1980), Joy of the Waters, 1917, cast bronze, 63 1/2 x 15 x 16 inches (161.3 x 38.1 x 40.6 cm). Gift of Mrs. Harrie G. Carnell, 1919.1