Day [Plaster]

Day [Plaster]

Figure sculpture, American--20th century

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

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall M. Fredericks
1991.021

The Night and Day Fountain was commissioned for the Henry J. McMorran Auditorium in Port Huron, Michigan. Fredericks also designed a gold anodized aluminum Sculptured Clock on the building which was completed two years before the fountain's installation. The sculptures and clock, though, were conceived as a whole. An image of the sculptures and clock can be seen on page 141 of Marshall M. Fredericks, Sculptor.

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, which 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 which is 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.

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

1991.021

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.


Symbols:
Male with pike: provider
Pike: A freshwater game fish, common to Michigan, of the Northern Hemisphere, having a long snout and attaining a length of over four feet..
Otter: symbol of courage; male attribute; Native American: associated with women and healing; helper, leading a hero out of trouble or a seaman to shore.

Female with bird: nurturer
Bird: connection between heaven and material world; sun,
Swans: happy death; faithful, purity; associated with music, poetry and divination; discernment; resurrection and eternal life

Another symbolic connection that can be explored is that Apollo and Artemis were twins. Their father was Zeus and mother was Titaness Leto. Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt was also referred to as god of Dark of the Moon. Apollo is associated with god of Light.

Molly Barth copy:
These two large reclining figures are Night and Day. These are the plaster models for the bronze figures that are in the fountain in the sculpture garden. These were done originally for a fountain at the Henry J. McMorran Memorial Auditorium in downtown Port Huron. The fountain was a memorial to McMorran, who was in the railroad business. He was the president, and when he held board meetings he would be right outside the door, and if one person was even a minute late, he would shut the doors so they were unable to get into the meeting. As Fredericks researched McMorran, he found out that he was very precise, so Fredericks designed a 20-foot-diameter clock as part of the memorial. It was cast in aluminum and gold anodized. [Attention] It was, as I mentioned, 20 feet in diameter. Nothing, at that time, had been done like this. It was filigreed so it was quite a task for the foundry to cast this, but it worked and it is magnificent! It is lit from behind. It shows the blossoming of flowers. This 20-foot-diameter gold anodized clock is on the facade of the building and it lights up with a soft golden glow. Down below in the fountain are Night and Day. Also on the facade of the building are 13 stars that are randomly placed. They light up also. It took Fredericks six years to complete this project. It was dedicated in 1964. It was rededicated in 1986, I believe. [check date] I have seen it at dusk and at night, and it's beautiful the way it lights up. I love the otter and the pike with their fierce looking teeth beneath the male figure of Day. Notice the slightest indication of scales here and there on the fish. It's beautiful for a fountain piece! As he's being taken off by the otter. And, of course, the female figure, Night as she's flying off on the swan.

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.