The Portland Museum of Art

On the same day I visited the Victoria Mansion, I decided to stop at the Portland Museum of Art. I stopped in a building on High Street which were offices for the Maine Historical Society, or something similar to them, I can’t remember the name, but I went in and asked if anything else was open during the time that dealt with the history of Maine. They gave me a few handouts and told me a few places. My intentions were to visit some of the places on the Underground Railroad and anti-slavery walking tour, but I saw that the McLellan House was open right across the street and that would be my final site visit so I decided to do the museum then the house instead. Unfortunately, this was my second time being in the museum, the first being with the class. It’s a really great museum. I really enjoyed the sculptures that were on display on your way to the McLellan House, and were my main focus for the site visit. Many of the sculptures were influenced by Greek and Roman art and were sculpted by Maine artists. They really caught my eye and I enjoyed the section of that museum very much. I talked to one of the employees at the front desk and helped with a lot of information that I was looking for.

 

George Washington

Historical Background:

Before talking about the sculptures, I thought I’d get into the history of the museum briefly. The Portland Museum of Art was founded in 1882. The museum is actually Maine’s largest and oldest public art institution. The museum originally started out as the Portland Society of Art in a three story mansion, which is the McLellan House which I had visited after the museum, owned by Margaret Jane Mussey Sweat. As time went out, the exhibits had continuously expanded until what it is today. It contains many great painting, photographs, sculptures, etc . along with many of Winslow Homer’s paintings and his studio, which I thought was really cool.

Ulysses S. Grant

The section that I enjoyed was located before you enter the McLellan House which contained many marble sculptures from the 19^th century. The sculptures that I enjoyed were crafted by Franklin B. Simmons. Simmons was from Portland and was a beloved figure in the city, especially for his work. Many of his sculptors were influenced by different marble art in Rome, which I really enjoyed. He had actually spent a lot of time studying and working in Italy to learn traditional carving techniques and other skills regarding sculpting but always stayed true to the city of Portland despite his love for Rome. In fact, Simmons had donated his sculptor of Ulysses S. Grant to the U.S. Capitol Building which was then donated to the Museum. Having sculptors of heroic figures was a way to show tribute to the ancient democracies of Greece and Rome. Americans viewed that ancient period as “a pinnacle of political and artistic human achievement”.  Another example of this is Simmons’s bronze statue of George Washington. Although Washington is not posed in a heroic stance, he is still one of the most historically significant figures in American history and it is import for the Museum to display this, just like every other museum. Although the Portland Museum of Art is not strictly limited to Maine art it is still an important society as it helps preserve historical items for us to learn and study.

 

 

Sculptures by Franklin B. Simmons

 Sources: Museum employee & brochure