masses have long marveled at ancient structures like the Great Pyramid of Giza , Stonehengeand the statue onEaster Island , raising interrogative sentence about how they were built without modernistic technology and machinery . But in New York ’s Hudson Valley , there sits a 6.5 - acre ( 2.6 - hectare ) earthwork carving from the 20th century that was hired man - sculpted during a 37 - class period . Most fascinating of all – this carving , known as Opus 40 , is the work of one homo .
The creative genius behind Opus 40 was Harvey Fite , an worker turn sculpturer who taught at Bard College in New York and exhibit around the macrocosm .
Part carving , part landscape painting , part I. F. Stone trail , Opus 40 features " an interlocking serial of terraces , ramps , and steps that were intended to serve as a showcase for [ Fite ’s ] figural carving , " according to theHudson River Valley National Heritage Area website . The name derive from the duration of time Fite approximate the work would take – 40 old age .
Who Was Harvey Fite?
Fite was born in Pittsburgh in 1903 and grow up in Texas , according to theOpus 40 web site . After grant up the study of law to pursue the ministry at St. Stephen ’s College ( now Bard College ) in Hudson Valley , Fite discovered his love of the arts . He spent time performing with theater fellowship , then link Bard College as a play teacher in 1933 , but presently turn his attention to sculpture .
In 1938 , Fite bought a 12 - acre ( 5 - hectare ) give up bluestone quarry in Saugerties , New York , planning to use the stuff for his carving .
" It was earth that had basically been torn apart , " aver Caroline Crumpacker , executive conductor of theOpus 40 Sculpture Park . " I have incredible gratitude for him . For create the artwork but also for showing us that we can adapt . That we can take something that look like a somewhat traumatic experience and make something relevant , timeless and meaningful out of it . "
The year after he purchased the property , Fite joined the Carnegie Institute on an ancientMayan sculpture restoration projectin Honduras . Impressed with the knowledge of raw material exhibit by the Mayan masses , he returned home and began carry out technique he instruct from the project .
Why Did He Build This Masterpiece?
Initially , Fite looked to sculpt statues in domain of the property , but as he keep drop dead , the statues got swallowed up in his larger workplace , and the task of building the land site became the art , according to Crumpacker .
" He originally purchased the property because he was a sculptor who wish to work with bluestone , " she says . But he became animate by the landscape .
For well-nigh four decade , Fite worked mostly alone , with episodic assist from scholar , concord to Crumpacker . His method was teetotal keystone masonry , which is laying pit without mortar , a skill he study through test and computer error .
While make his chef-d’oeuvre , Fite met and conjoin Barbara Fairbanks Richards , continue sculpting and educational activity , had solo show in Europe and studied carving in Asia .
From 1940 until the end of his sprightliness , he make on Opus 40 , adding a 15 - foot ( 4.5 - meter ) monolith as a centerpiece in 1963 . With the 9 - ton ( 8 - metric ton ) vertical sculpture , the web site was " capped off with an exclaiming point , " write Matt Stevens inThe New York Times .
In 1976 , at the age of 72 , Fite was riding a lawnmower andfell into the quarryon the holding and died . His married woman incorporated Opus 40 as a non-profit-making and supervise it until her last .
Visiting Opus 40
Fite ’s living carving has lived on , and today , Opus 40 is a sculpture park and museum open to the public April through November .
In add-on to the carving and Opus 40 ’s 55 acres ( 22 hectares ) of forest , meadow and trails , there is a quarry museum , a gallery and a store . Opus 40 host event like cinema screening , floorshow and concert . In fact , Rolling Stone called itthe Northeast ’s adept place for an outdoor execution .
While there is quite a little of fun to be had at Opus 40 , there are some activities that are not allow , like playing on the carving , which could essay serious , as Fite ’s own fateful chance event made decipherable . For the same ground , the carving is closed at night .
If you plan to visit , the entrance fee is $ 12 for adults ; $ 9 for seniors , students and old-timer ; and free for child younger than 4 . For more information , visit theOpus 40 website .
