Night [Plaster]

Night [Plaster]

Figure sculpture, American--20th century

Night, from the Night and Day Fountain, 1962
Plaster original

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall M. Fredericks
1991.020

The Night and Day Fountain was commissioned for the Henry J. McMorran Auditorium in Port Huron, Michigan. Fredericks also created a gold anodized aluminum Sculptured Clock on the building that was completed two years before the fountain's installation. The sculptures and clock were conceived as a unified design concept.

In keeping with a long tradition in western art, the sculptor personified time with figures representing night and day. Night has long, smooth, graceful curves that are repeated in the lines of the swan in flight beneath her. In comparison, Day is more angular and his muscles are more pronounced, as are the veins in the arms and hands. Day rests upon an otter, hunting in a school of Northern pike and Night floats upon a swan in flight, holding a small bird in her hand.

The Night and Day Fountain can also be seen in the Sculpture Garden. An image of the clock and sculptures can be seen on page 141 of Marshall M. Fredericks, Sculptor.

Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998

1962

Use of this image requires permission from the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum

University Center (Mich.)

168" l

Plaster full-scale

1991.020

Main Exhibit Gallery

1987 July, 1 Gift to Museum and SVSU Board of Control

The male figure is laying on his back with his arms extended. He is resting on a school of fish and a turtle. He holds a fish in one hand.

The female figure is also reclining. Here arms are held above her head. She is supported by a large bird and has a bird perched on her hand.

From Archives, written by Melissa Ford:
Marshall Fredericks frequently used the figure of a swan in his sculptures. Many cultures feature swans in their mythology and folklore. Swans have come to symbolize fidelity and purity and are associated with music, poetry and divination. Fredericks often employed the swan as a symbol of resurrection and eternal life in his sculptures. Wings of the Morning, Freedom of the Human Spirit, and Indian and Wilds Swans as well as several other works feature swans.
It seems that Fredericks' possessed a deep love and appreciation for these beautiful and graceful creatures. Besides sculpting swans, Fredericks played an integral role in a swan nesting project during the 1960s. As a civic gesture to his hometown of Birmingham, Michigan, Fredericks presented two pairs of swans to the city. The Australian Black and White Mute swans made their home in Quarton Lake located in the heart of the city. Unfortunately, several of the birds did not fare well in their new surroundings had to be replaced by the city of Birmingham.
During the 1970s, in order to protect the swans and encourage nesting, the parks department constructed a bird sanctuary in the middle of the lake. This tiny floating island, constructed of several government surplus "life rafts", was approximately thirty-five feet in diameter and covered in a vegetative screen of wild grasses and rushes. Each winter, the swans would be removed from the lake and provided with shelter by the parks department until spring when they would return to the water. The swans would then spend the rest of spring, summer and early fall on Quarton Lake being enjoyed by passing residents and visitors.
As Fredericks' home in Birmingham overlooked Quarton Lake, it is quite plausible that one of these birds served as a real life inspiration for the swans often found in Marshall Fredericks' work.