Looking at the impish "Faun" as we left the gardens yesterday made us
all smile or even chuckle a little. Such a whimsical and earnest little
creature! We quickly moved into the welcome center and were transported into the real world of sculpture immediately. The thing I found really cool about the whole visit
was the absolute ease with which Mrs. Huntington integrated her own
magnificent works into those of others who were more, less or equally talented. She exhibited what I would describe as an absolutely pure love of art and nature and was deeply appreciative of the talent of 'mortal' artists and profoundly cognitive of the exquisite cosmic beauty in the world around her as
illustrative of the grandest of all art masters. I think the phenomenon is best illustrated by the repetitiveness with which a particular subject is
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| The Young Diana - Anna Huntington |
displayed by an enormous range of artists and yet we judge each one for its own unique characteristics and we don't do "side-by-side" comparisons!! Mrs. and Mr. Huntington were remarkably thoughtful and insightful people and their foresight in creating this incredible place - for the world to enjoy - it deeply appreciated. During the time they spent here they welcomed visitors
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| Atalaya Castle - South Carolina |
from all over the world and nurtured blooming careers in many different fields. As a matter of fact, one of the best illustrations of their nature lies in the construction of their home on the other side of
Highway 17 in what is now Huntington State Park and just a 'stone's throw' away from some of the best seafood restaurants on the East coast - in Murrell's Inlet, S. C. In the last post I mentioned the 300+ acres that are dedicated to the sculpture gardens and zoological park - well - in all, the Huntingtons purchased three plantations surrounding this area and their property ultimately extended to several thousand acres. Shortly after purchasing the original property, the Huntingtons decided to build their
residence on the South side of Highway 17 to include studio space for Anna. Archer was a lover of Spanish architecture and studied it extensively. He obviously drew heavily from his knowledge of the Andalusian coast in his masonry design and even named their home "Atalaya" after a castle in Spain. The name - meaning "watchtower" - is appropriate because the home is
situated where it can forever oversee the happenings in this beautiful setting. Completed in 1933, Atalaya, was built without a comprehensive set of plans and grew to thirty rooms and a central studio plaza. Mr. Huntington insisted on using local workmen for the entire project in
recognition of the devastating effects of the Great Depression on the local job market. A while back we had a talk about "serendipity" and the interconnectedness of things in our universe. Consider this. The Huntingtons came to South Carolina because Anna suffered from tuberculosis and had been advised to move to a warmer climate than that of her beloved New England. That decision ultimately led to the creation of this immortal legacy in sculpture but, even more than that, it created organizations, opportunities and ongoing
employment for hundreds, if not thousands, of South Carolinians for the last ninety years. Now don't get me wrong, Mr. and Mrs. Huntington left indelible imprints on countless spots on our planet but the fact is that because of a sheer 'accident' of health - time - and availability of land - the people of our state - and of the world have been left with a matchless bequest. Thank you Anna and Archer. We will treasure your gifts forever!!! Sorry for waxing nostalgic there ... but - we'll close for now and let you rest up. We have a ton of statues left to look at so come on back soon. See ya.
was the absolute ease with which Mrs. Huntington integrated her own 
magnificent works into those of others who were more, less or equally talented. She exhibited what I would describe as an absolutely pure love of art and nature and was deeply appreciative of the talent of 'mortal' artists and profoundly cognitive of the exquisite cosmic beauty in the world around her as
illustrative of the grandest of all art masters. I think the phenomenon is best illustrated by the repetitiveness with which a particular subject is 
Highway 17 in what is now Huntington State Park and just a 'stone's throw' away from some of the best seafood restaurants on the East coast - in Murrell's Inlet, S. C. In the last post I mentioned the 300+ acres that are dedicated to the sculpture gardens and zoological park - well - in all, the Huntingtons purchased three plantations surrounding this area and their property ultimately extended to several thousand acres. Shortly after purchasing the original property, the Huntingtons decided to build their
residence on the South side of Highway 17 to include studio space for Anna. Archer was a lover of Spanish architecture and studied it extensively. He obviously drew heavily from his knowledge of the Andalusian coast in his masonry design and even named their home "Atalaya" after a castle in Spain. The name - meaning "watchtower" - is appropriate because the home is 
situated where it can forever oversee the happenings in this beautiful setting. Completed in 1933, Atalaya, was built without a comprehensive set of plans and grew to thirty rooms and a central studio plaza. Mr. Huntington insisted on using local workmen for the entire project in
recognition of the devastating effects of the Great Depression on the local job market. A while back we had a talk about "serendipity" and the interconnectedness of things in our universe. Consider this. The Huntingtons came to South Carolina because Anna suffered from tuberculosis and had been advised to move to a warmer climate than that of her beloved New England. That decision ultimately led to the creation of this immortal legacy in sculpture but, even more than that, it created organizations, opportunities and ongoing
employment for hundreds, if not thousands, of South Carolinians for the last ninety years. Now don't get me wrong, Mr. and Mrs. Huntington left indelible imprints on countless spots on our planet but the fact is that because of a sheer 'accident' of health - time - and availability of land - the people of our state - and of the world have been left with a matchless bequest. Thank you Anna and Archer. We will treasure your gifts forever!!! Sorry for waxing nostalgic there ... but - we'll close for now and let you rest up. We have a ton of statues left to look at so come on back soon. See ya.
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