Full Transcript for Small Snail in the Big Cities

hold of 83 00:04:41,921 --> 00:04:45,834 d’Illzach, but he couldn’t make his vase all on his own. 84 00:04:46,455 --> 00:04:50,939 So he teamed up with a bronze factory in Belgium 85 00:04:51,217 --> 00:04:52,561 and struck a deal. 86 00:04:52,605 --> 00:04:56,807 [man laughs] The factory let d’Illzach have the supplies 87 00:04:56,816 --> 00:04:58,815 he needed to make his vase. 88 00:04:59,519 --> 00:05:02,577 [steel hammering] In exchange, they would get half the 89 00:05:02,578 --> 00:05:04,669 money when the vase sold. [cash register chimes] 90 00:05:04,864 --> 00:05:07,792 Wait, slow down. 91 00:05:08,663 --> 00:05:11,740 If the vase sold. [voice says “uh-oh.”] 92 00:05:11,740 --> 00:05:15,144 To make the vase, d’Illzach used a 93 00:05:15,144 --> 00:05:21,105 variation of lost-wax casting, but he created his very own 94 00:05:21,106 --> 00:05:25,196 process that let him preserve the imprint of any material 95 00:05:25,198 --> 00:05:28,029 he applied to the model. [squishing sound] Looking 96 00:05:28,029 --> 00:05:31,778 at my vase, you can see so many objects pressed into 97 00:05:31,792 --> 00:05:38,693 the surface, like, um, twigs, leaves, or fabric. Then, in 98 00:05:38,694 --> 00:05:43,370 another unusual move, d’Illzach decided to make the body of 99 00:05:43,371 --> 00:05:47,928 this monumental vase with one monumental pour of bronze. 100 00:05:48,552 --> 00:05:50,899 [hot bubbling] It was a risk, though. 101 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:56,059 If he did any step incorrectly, oh, he would 102 00:05:56,075 --> 00:06:00,041 wreck the material he used and have to start all over! 103 00:06:03,582 --> 00:06:06,868 [musical sting] Oh, luckily he pulled it off, and then 104 00:06:07,070 --> 00:06:11,187 it was time to pivot from art making to art selling. 105 00:06:11,625 --> 00:06:12,226 [change jingles] 106 00:06:12,280 --> 00:06:16,196 To find a buyer, we went on display in the Exposition 107 00:06:16,535 --> 00:06:23,457 Universelle, or World’s Fair, in Paris in 1889. 108 00:06:24,399 --> 00:06:29,034 World’s Fairs are huge international exhibitions 109 00:06:29,049 --> 00:06:32,050 where countries show off their scientific, artistic, 110 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:33,831 and cultural achievements. 111 00:06:34,193 --> 00:06:38,306 The fairs started in the mid-1800s, and they 112 00:06:38,423 --> 00:06:39,859 still continue today. 113 00:06:40,897 --> 00:06:44,863 [busy crowd chatter] At the 1889 exposition in Paris, we 114 00:06:44,888 --> 00:06:48,839 were placed in the middle of a section entirely devoted 115 00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:54,731 to awesome bronze artworks, and this vase was a huge hit. 116 00:06:55,608 --> 00:06:58,354 Or wait, maybe it was just huge. 117 00:06:58,803 --> 00:07:03,702 So huge that I distinctly remember one family even 118 00:07:03,702 --> 00:07:06,340 used us as a landmark. 119 00:07:06,776 --> 00:07:08,687 [children screaming] The family was huge, too. 120 00:07:09,004 --> 00:07:10,412 There were lots of kids. 121 00:07:10,785 --> 00:07:14,574 They decided to make our vase a meeting point so that 122 00:07:14,575 --> 00:07:17,732 they could split up and find each other later in the day. 123 00:07:18,522 --> 00:07:21,294 One kid came back a bit early and spent his 124 00:07:21,296 --> 00:07:23,626 time examining the vase. [child says “hmm.”] 125 00:07:23,626 --> 00:07:27,532 He walked slowly around us multiple times, 126 00:07:27,830 --> 00:07:32,056 letting his eyes travel over the artwork at a snail’s pace 127 00:07:32,318 --> 00:07:38,227 so he could notice the details. Take it from a bug: going 128 00:07:38,227 --> 00:07:41,861 slow and noticing the details makes the world a lot more 129 00:07:41,885 --> 00:07:48,186 interesting. Unfortunately, that kid wasn’t just our biggest fan, 130 00:07:49,022 --> 00:07:51,426 he was one of our only fans. 131 00:07:51,426 --> 00:07:52,491 [Classical music resumes] 132 00:07:52,491 --> 00:07:55,630 D’Illzach was hoping that a big buyer would see the big vase 133 00:07:55,634 --> 00:08:00,155 and pull out the big bucks, but it was not meant to be. 134 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:02,624 He blamed critics in the press. 135 00:08:02,902 --> 00:08:07,280 One even said our vase was, “Without any claim 136 00:08:07,282 --> 00:08:10,513 to artistic virtue.” Ouch! 137 00:08:11,106 --> 00:08:13,035 I guess you have to have a pretty tough shell to 138 00:08:13,042 --> 00:08:14,592 be a professional artist. 139 00:08:15,186 --> 00:08:19,743 To be fair, [laughs] we faced some really big competition. 140 00:08:20,222 --> 00:08:25,954 The most famous artwork at the 1889 World’s Fair was the Eiffel 141 00:08:25,995 --> 00:08:31,789 Tower, a ginormous thousand-foot high steel structure. 142 00:08:32,414 --> 00:08:35,256 It was just supposed to be up for the world’s fair, but 143 00:08:35,259 --> 00:08:40,283 it was so popular that it is still a famous landmark 144 00:08:40,314 --> 00:08:42,066 in the middle of Paris. 145 00:08:42,525 --> 00:08:46,533 So maybe we just weren’t big enough? 146 00:08:47,238 --> 00:08:50,328 D’Illzach and the bronze factory were mega bummed 147 00:08:50,399 --> 00:08:52,108 that the vase hadn’t sold. 148 00:08:52,370 --> 00:08:52,901 Ugh. 149 00:08:53,370 --> 00:08:57,621 But there was still a silver lining, at least for me. 150 00:08:58,172 --> 00:09:01,968 We got to go see another world’s fair, this time 151 00:09:02,005 --> 00:09:05,184 in Chicago in 1893. 152 00:09:05,184 --> 00:09:06,665 [Carnival music]] 153 00:09:06,665 --> 00:09:10,033 At Chicago’s fair, we were in a section of art from 154 00:09:10,069 --> 00:09:14,257 Belgium, so we could represent the Belgian bronze foundry. 155 00:09:14,573 --> 00:09:17,669 There were other cool statues and a table of fancy 156 00:09:17,669 --> 00:09:21,165 plates, and so many people. 157 00:09:21,761 --> 00:09:25,504 Oh, I think we snails had as much fun people-watching as the 158 00:09:25,506 --> 00:09:27,581 people had looking at the art. 159 00:09:28,016

--> 00:09:30,547 You’ll never believe who I saw, though. 160 00:09:31,710 --> 00:09:33,057 That kid! 161 00:09:33,303 --> 00:09:36,924 He was a little older, a teenager now, but he 162 00:09:36,924 --> 00:09:40,620 stopped to say hello to us all, even the spider. 163 00:09:40,620 --> 00:09:42,981 [voice says “hello.”] He had a little sketchbook with him. 164 00:09:43,388 --> 00:09:46,262 It looked like he had made drawings of many of 165 00:09:46,262 --> 00:09:47,766 the objects at the fair. 166 00:09:48,257 --> 00:09:51,045 Oh, they were really good, too. 167 00:09:51,045 --> 00:09:54,164 [voice says “Thanks!”] Anyway, around this time, there was a 168 00:09:54,178 --> 00:09:58,136 buyer who was kind of interested in bringing us home, but 169 00:09:58,151 --> 00:10:01,341 things fell apart when they were negotiating the price. 170 00:10:02,011 --> 00:10:06,812 [grumbling voice says “No.”] And after the fair, we returned 171 00:10:06,812 --> 00:10:09,752 to the bronze factory again. 172 00:10:09,752 --> 00:10:10,971 [Dramatic classical music] 173 00:10:10,971 --> 00:10:13,168 Who knew artists had to be good at selling things, too? 174 00:10:14,049 --> 00:10:17,598 That’s one of the toughest parts of making art your livelihood. 175 00:10:17,834 --> 00:10:22,997 It takes time and money to make art, especially big sculptures. 176 00:10:23,468 --> 00:10:27,218 So if your art doesn’t sell, you might not have enough 177 00:10:27,218 --> 00:10:29,053 money to make the next piece. 178 00:10:29,605 --> 00:10:33,336 It’s a challenge artists have been facing for centuries. 179 00:10:33,876 --> 00:10:37,223 Could they get a patron, someone who supported their work? 180 00:10:37,608 --> 00:10:42,224 Could they find time to make art while having a steady day job? 181 00:10:42,753 --> 00:10:46,550 Or could they sell their work for enough of a profit to 182 00:10:46,550 --> 00:10:48,253 keep making art full time? 183 00:10:49,256 --> 00:10:52,510 D’Illzach had carved a unique path for himself 184 00:10:52,538 --> 00:10:54,992 by collaborating with the bronze factory to 185 00:10:54,998 --> 00:10:57,341 create our enormous vase. 186 00:10:57,536 --> 00:11:01,221 [metal hammering] The factory helped to cover the cost, and 187 00:11:01,222 --> 00:11:05,471 in exchange they got to show off their exceptional talents too. 188 00:11:05,665 --> 00:11:08,434 [voice says “check it out.”] Great bronze artists need an 189 00:11:08,467 --> 00:11:11,977 equally great bronze foundry after all. But while they were 190 00:11:11,983 --> 00:11:15,590 getting some good publicity at the world’s fairs, the foundry 191 00:11:15,606 --> 00:11:19,582 really wanted to earn back their investment on this giant vase. 192 00:11:20,021 --> 00:11:24,321 So we went back on display, and D’Illzach kept reaching 193 00:11:24,321 --> 00:11:27,495 out to people to see if they were in need of a 10-foot, 194 00:11:27,547 --> 00:11:30,410 half-ton, Roman-inspired vase. 195 00:11:31,048 --> 00:11:33,516

[crowd chatter] Who doesn’t need a 10-foot, half-ton, 196 00:11:33,523 --> 00:11:36,201 Roman-inspired, bronze vase is my question? 197 00:11:36,201 --> 00:11:36,223 [percussive sting] 198 00:11:37,572 --> 00:11:39,026 [Classical music resumes] 199 00:11:39,026 --> 00:11:42,575 To make a long story short, we ended up in a 200 00:11:42,612 --> 00:11:48,008 third world’s fair, this time in Brussels in 1910. 201 00:11:49,708 --> 00:11:54,687 And we were placed on a pedestal in our very own section, where 202 00:11:54,732 --> 00:11:58,397 our vase towered over all the people that walked by. 203 00:11:59,113 --> 00:12:03,349 Personally, I thought it was kind of fun to be up so high. 204 00:12:03,888 --> 00:12:07,354 Since us snails are at the bottom of the vase, usually all 205 00:12:07,355 --> 00:12:09,201 we can see are people’s shoes. 206 00:12:09,508 --> 00:12:12,492 Now we got a good look at their shirts, too. 207 00:12:13,074 --> 00:12:18,224 And you’ll never believe whose shirt I saw 11 years 208 00:12:18,313 --> 00:12:20,465 after our first world’s fair. 209 00:12:20,805 --> 00:12:25,449 That’s right, the kid, only he wasn’t a kid anymore. 210 00:12:25,694 --> 00:12:27,462 He was a young man. 211 00:12:28,011 --> 00:12:31,551 He stopped by before the exposition even opened [mature 212 00:12:31,551 --> 00:12:34,329 voice says “hello.”] because he had his own work to display. 213 00:12:34,659 --> 00:12:37,960 I didn’t see what was in his box, but he stopped to look 214 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:41,799 at us all over again when he walked in, circled the whole 215 00:12:41,821 --> 00:12:46,366 vase, and called us old friends. 216 00:12:47,127 --> 00:12:49,757 Guess you never know what’ll inspire you 217 00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:52,671 or who you’ll inspire. 218 00:12:53,087 --> 00:12:56,476 You just make the best art you can and hope 219 00:12:56,476 --> 00:12:58,324 it’ll find its audience. 220 00:12:58,324 --> 00:12:59,407 [Piano music] 221 00:12:59,407 --> 00:13:01,990 Our vase wasn’t sold in D’Illzach’s lifetime. 222 00:13:02,539 --> 00:13:05,925 He continued to make other artworks that did sell, 223 00:13:05,942 --> 00:13:09,199 though, which meant he was able to continue creating. 224 00:13:09,664 --> 00:13:14,420 Today, he is remembered as a great artist. 225 00:13:15,183 --> 00:13:18,530 Eventually, we went back to the bronze factory where we 226 00:13:18,531 --> 00:13:24,227 were made, then to a private collector, and in 2009, we 227 00:13:24,228 --> 00:13:28,603 crossed the ocean again to get to the Getty Museum, where we’re 228 00:13:28,603 --> 00:13:34,978 surrounded by art and visitors from around the world once more. 229 00:13:35,821 --> 00:13:40,314 I just wish I could have told that kid the path to 230 00:13:40,319 --> 00:13:46,155 success can be long and winding, so you gotta slow 231 00:13:46,170 --> 00:13:49,347 down and enjoy the view. 232 00:13:49,347 --> 00:13:55,111 [Theme music begins] 233 00:13:55,111 --> 00:13:57,571 Host: I hope you enjoyed learning about world’s fairs 234 00:13:57,615 --> 00:13:59,715 and this enormous vase. 235 00:14:00,728 --> 00:14:04,808 Join us next time when a cabinet reveals its secrets. 236 00:14:04,808 --> 00:14:07,469 [creaking noise] To see photographs of the vase, 237 00:14:07,633 --> 00:14:13,078 visit our website at getty dot edu slash IOCT. 238 00:14:13,578 --> 00:14:16,593 We’ve also got a listening guide with discussion questions 239 00:14:16,616 --> 00:14:18,589 and related activities there. 240 00:14:19,012 --> 00:14:21,317 This episode was written by Claire Hupy and 241 00:14:21,318 --> 00:14:23,032 produced by Zoe Goldman. 242 00:14:23,358 --> 00:14:25,430 Tricia Brioux voiced the snail. 243 00:14:25,733 --> 00:14:29,675 Theme music, mixing, and sound design by Alexandra Kalinowski. 244 00:14:30,284 --> 00:14:32,607 Christopher Sprinkle is executive producer. 245 00:14:33,092 --> 00:14:36,041 Special thanks to curators Anne-Lise Desmas and 246 00:14:36,041 --> 00:14:38,606 Miriam Schefzyk, as well as Rebekkah Hart. 247 00:14:39,570 --> 00:14:41,826 These stories are historical fiction. 248 00:14:42,118 --> 00:14:44,958 They’re based on historical facts and deep research, 249 00:14:44,987 --> 00:14:48,054 but we’ve filled in some gaps to make a good story. 250 00:14:48,571 --> 00:14:51,603 If you have questions about what you’ve heard, write to us 251 00:14:51,685 --> 00:14:55,213 at podteam at Getty dot edu. 252 00:14:55,899 --> 00:14:57,108 Catch you next time.