Last week, I wrote a post on the life and career of Daniel Chester French, the great
sculptor of the Lincoln and Minute Man memorials. But a bit more can be said
about Chesterwood, the estate in
Western Massachusetts where he lived and worked in the summer.
French’s art focused on the human body, but his
vision of beauty also took in the natural landscape, and he designed his house
and studio with this in mind. From one side of his house, he could look out on
Monument Mountain. But next to his studio, he planted the flower beds and
walkway you see here (which I photographed on my last visit to this National
Historic Landmark).
I toured the house and grounds in late August 2017—when
the flowers were not at their peak or most beautiful. Even so, I think you can
sense how these surroundings buoyed French’s spirit. After hours molding clay,
he must have delighted in ordering seeds and plants, then
working with his wife Mary in planting and seeding the border.
This “Studio Garden,” as French called it, segued to the woods beyond. Here, along this walkway, the French
family held costume balls, often under Chinese paper lanterns, and parties
where the sculptor displayed his latest work-in-progress.
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