Wall sculptures with representations of professions (31 elements)

About this artwork.

Built in 1954 in the Merwede- and Scheldestraat, the multi-storey flats feature 31 portico decorations representing various professions, including a nurse, a cleaner, a bricklayer, a carpenter, a blacksmith and a photographer. This latter professional group did not have an easy time in the nineteen-fifties, as can be seen on the porch decoration. The camera weighed dozens of kilograms and had a long exposure time, so it was necessary to put the device on a tripod. The canvas over the photographer's head was necessary for focusing the image exactly.
 
In the post-war period, ceramist Anno Smith made many hundreds of porch and facade decorations for the city of Groningen, intended for residential complexes, schools, shops and factories, among other things. It is for good reason that ceramics connoisseurs call Anno Smith a master of ornamentation. 
 
Smith mainly depicted everyday objects and scenes: fish, flowers, playing children and working craftspeople. Because of the uniformity of the post-war architectural style, each portico and each building was given its own identity. Recognisability therefore does not happen to be an important feature of Smith's work. His clients also wanted cheerful performances that had to be understandable for the residents.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Anno Smith

• District
  Rivierenbuurt & Herewegbuurt

• Year of creation
  1954

• Art type
  Art in / on a building, Wall sculpture

• Material
  Terracotta, Glaze