Posts Tagged ‘bas-relief’

a Guildwood December day walk

Posted: December 28, 2024 in locations, nature, waterfront
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Just after Christmas, we took a short walk around Guildwood Inn Park where we encountered this cold but jolly fellow.

three snowball snowman, leaning slightly, with three stone buttons, 2 eyes, a nose, and a smiling mouth

below: Once it led to the Granite Club (built 1926), now it leads to a path through the park

stone and brick arch from an old building, now in a park, winter time, snow on ground, a bench beside the arch

The Guildwood Inn (Guild Inn) property is now home to many pieces of stone and concrete that once adorned old Toronto buildings that were demolished many years ago. For a more thorough discussion of the history of the pieces, see History in Pieces of Stone a post from 2020.

below: Staging photographs, playing in the snow.

photo session, two people throwing snow while a third takes pictures, backdrop is old stone columns in a park setting

below: A pyramid of old blocks of rescued stone.

pyramid shape made of blocks of stone and concrete rescued from demolition of old buildings

winter scene, Guild Inn among the trees, snow

old carved stone top of a column, now resting a park, winter, with red dogwood branches among the dead leaves and leafless trees

old stone wishing well, in snowy park

snow covered partial wall made of rescued stone, snow covered park,

carved stone bas relief, octagon, with large floral motif in center

below: Representing Quebec…..sculpted panel by Frances Loring.

sculpture on large square stone, bas relief, personification of quebec

Christmas garland hanging from bare branches of a small deciduous tree in winter

small christmas wreath with greenery, as well as red and gold ribbon, hanging on a tree in Guildwood Inn Park

two men talking together while walking on snowy path through woods, in a park

below: The park runs along the top of the Scarborough Bluffs.

signs at edge of cliff, Lake Ontario at Guildwood Inn Park, danger cliff unstable, do not enter, small trees, snow, fence posts, Lake in background

below: Bits of the park fall into Lake Ontario each year – and occasionally parts of the old fence go too.

old fence wire and posts, dangling where cliff side has eroded, beside Lake Ontario at Guildwood Inn park, winter time, snow on ground, some red dogwood shrub branches near water

rock solid, working out in the shadows

Posted: April 29, 2018 in public art
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subtitle: Finding treasures

Hidden behind ivy, on a building at Ryerson University, are three relief sculptures of men in athletic poses.   There’s also a line of trees beside the building that they are on.  No wonder I’ve missed them on previous walks down Nelson Mandela Way.  Today the light was shining on them just the right way .

below: Javelin thrower.  Does his left arm look a little awkward?

on a wall, covered with ivy plant (early spring so no leaves), relief sculpture of a man from the side, about to throw a javelin,

below:  Man with a ball, and covered with ivy vines which was designed in 1962 by Elizabeth Wyn Wood (They are all the work of the same artist?)

on a wall, covered with ivy plant (early spring so no leaves), relief sculpture of a man with legs spread apart, with a ball on his shoulder, arms bent upwards at elbow

below: Lifting weights.

on a wall, covered with ivy plant (early spring so no leaves), relief sculpture of a man with legs spread apart, and holding barbells across his shoulders, weight lifter,

Elizabeth Winifred Wood (1903-1966), also known as Elizabeth Wyn Wood, was born in Orillia.  She graduated from OCA (Ontario College of Art) in 1925.  Throughout the 1940’s and 1950’s, many new buildings in Toronto were decorated with relief sculptures on their exterior walls.  Although many of these buildings have since been demolished, you can still see some sculptures as you walk around downtown.   By the time that Wyn Wood designed these (and other) sculptures for Ryerson in the early 1960’s, the use of relief sculptures in this context was fading.