''Ventana al Pacifico'' ("Window on the Pacific" in English) is an outdoor 1989

marble sculpture Marble has been the preferred material for stone monumental sculpture since ancient times, with several advantages over its more common geological "parent" limestone, in particular the ability to absorb light a small distance into the surface be ...

by Manuel Neri, located outside of the Gus J. Solomon United States Courthouse in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

History

''Ventana al Pacifico'' was designed by Manuel Neri and dedicated in April 1989, having been commissioned by the

General Services Administration The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. gover ...

in 1987. It was installed east of the main entrance to the Gus J. Solomon United States Courthouse, near the intersection of Southwest 6th and Southwest Main Street. The work was surveyed and considered "well maintained" by the Smithsonian's " Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program in October 1993. It was co-administered by General Services Administration departments in both Portland and

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

at that time.

Description

The

modern Modern may refer to: History * Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Phil ...

figurative sculpture is made from white Carrara marble and measures approximately x x . The

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

categorizes the sculpture as an abstract

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

and describes it as the following: "Vertical slab with figures in high-relief. On the east side there is a female figure emerging from the stone, on the west side there are two androgynous like figures facing each other." Accompanying the sculpture is a plaque which reads: .

References

External links

Maquette for Ventana al Pacifico (for U.S. Courthouse, Portland, Oregon)

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...

Portland Cultural Tours: Public Art Walking Tour
(PDF), Regional Arts & Culture Council {{Public art in Portland, Oregon 1989 establishments in Oregon 1989 sculptures Abstract sculptures in Oregon Figurative art Marble sculptures in Oregon Outdoor sculptures in Portland, Oregon Sculptures by American artists Sculptures of women in Oregon Southwest Portland, Oregon

History

Description

See also

References

External links