Roman Temple, a photo from California, West

Photographer's Note

One in a series of pictures taken on a visit to Hearst Castle during a trip to California in March 1994 to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. All were taken on slide film and have recently been digitised and cleaned up in Photoshop,

Hearst Castle is a National Historic Landmark mansion located on the Central Coast of California, United States. It was designed by architect Julia Morgan between 1919 and 1947 for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who died in 1951. In 1957, the Hearst Corporation donated the property to the state of California. Since that time it has been maintained as a state historic park where the estate, and its considerable collection of art and antiques, is open for public tours. Despite its location far from any urban center, the site attracts about one million visitors per year.

Hearst formally named the estate "La Cuesta Encantada" ("The Enchanted Hill"), but usually called it "the ranch". The castle and grounds are also sometimes referred to as "San Simeon" without distinguishing between the Hearst property and the adjacent unincorporated area of the same name.

Hearst first approached American architect Julia Morgan with ideas for a new project in April 1915, shortly after he took ownership. Hearst's original idea was to build a bungalow, according to a draftsman who worked in Morgan's office who recounted Hearst's words from the initial meeting:

“I would like to build something upon the hill at San Simeon. I get tired of going up there and camping in tents. I'm getting a little too old for that. I'd like to get something that would be a little more comfortable.”

After approximately one month of discussion, Hearst's original idea for a modest dwelling swelled to grand proportions. Discussion for the exterior style switched from an initial suggestion of Japanese and Korean themes to the Spanish Revival that was gaining popularity and which Morgan had helped to initiate with her work on the Los Angeles Herald Examiner headquarters in 1915. Hearst was fond of Spanish Revival, but dissatisfied with the crudeness of the colonial structures in California. Mexican colonial architecture had more sophistication but he objected to its profusion of ornamentation. Turning to the Iberian Peninsula for inspiration, he found Renaissance and Baroque examples in southern Spain more to his tastes. Hearst particularly admired a church in Ronda and asked Morgan to pattern the Main Building towers after it. The Panama-California Exposition of 1915 in San Diego held the closest approaches in California to the look Hearst desired. He decided to substitute a stucco exterior in place of masonry in deference to Californian traditions.

By late summer 1919 Morgan had surveyed the site, analyzed its geology, and drawn initial plans for the Main Building. Construction began in 1919 and continued through 1947 when Hearst stopped living at the estate due to ill health.

(Source: Wikipedia)

RhodieIke, Budapestman, timecapturer, lakshmip1949, gildasjan, jlbrthnn, Graal, kordinator, Cricri, delpeoples, Charo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

RhodieIke (9207) 2012-02-02 0:30

Wow, Stephen, Not what I expected to read where this scene is, great colours,well managed light,very interesting note, Tfs, Hope your winter is not too cold, Cheers Iain.

besnard (48787) 2012-02-02 0:32

Bonjour Stephen
Très élégant ce temple au bord du bassin aux dessins géométriques et une couleur bleue attractive.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journée.
Nicole

dkmurphys (36801) 2012-02-02 1:41

Hi Stephen,
Lovely place. Incredible blue water and reflections. Well catch, have a nice day.

Daniel

npecanhuk (53901) 2012-02-02 2:09

Hi Stephen!
Beautiful place!
Attractive picture!
Chosen pov, vertical format, colors, exposure and composition are highlights!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

Budapestman (82620) 2012-02-02 2:16

Hi Stephen,
a spectacular photo of this place I like the composition and the fantastic view, superb details and POV, the colours and lights are beautiful too, Tfs! Have a nice day! Kellemes napot kívánok!
György

timecapturer (30324) 2012-02-02 2:36

Hi Stephen
ran out of time last year on my USA trip so had to skip a planned visit here to this wonderful castle. Love your POV and composition it looks so impressive and classical in this light. Another fine transfer into digital.

Have a great day - Brian.

lakshmip1949 (19110) 2012-02-02 3:01

Hello Stephen,

A lovely shot of this Roman Temple . The colors, reflections and sharpness are superb. I like the blue tiles underneath the water. Like that subtle reflection in the water. A well lit image with lots of details to be absorbed.

Lakshmi

Nicou (97679) 2012-02-02 3:07

Hello

quel effet sur le pavage en fond du bassin , quel reflet et couleur, cette brillance, sueprbe compo et iamge avec l'eau et cette architecture, fantastique compo et iamge.

bravo et amitié

Nicou

ChrisJ (86862) 2012-02-02 4:06

Bonjour Stephen

Considering the age of the slide this scan is pretty good. Well composed with reasonable sharpness. Good contrasted light & nice symmetrical reflections of the neoclassical Greco - Roman architecture. Tfs!

gildasjan (38218) 2012-02-02 4:52

Bonjour Stephen
J'aime beaucoup le contraste entre le bleu du premier plan et celui du ciel et cette architecture est parfaitement cadrée dans la composition.La partie gauche de ce temple révèle des teintes chaudes en harmonie avec les bleus de cette image.
Bonne après-midi
Amicalement
gildas

ikeharel (37316) 2012-02-02 5:01

Hi Stephen,
A beautiful old stuff , blue color dominanace.
So this is the legendary Hearst Castle, as view on it's outdoor premises.
Fine shot from POV, well presented note.
Ike

Bluejeans (64231) 2012-02-02 5:34

Ola Stephen ,
Beleza esta tua foto vertical com o templo de fundo e esta piscina em primeiro plano , bonito o desenho dos azulejos no chão , boas cores e luz , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

jlbrthnn (79773) 2012-02-02 6:10

Bonjour Stephen,
Ce n'est pas une modeste résidence secondaire, mais un vrai palais pour empereur. Le cadrage est très habile. Le graphisme de la piscine et sa couleur contribuent à la réussite de cette belle image. la réalisation et la numérisation sont excellentes. Bravo.
Bonne journée
Amicalement
Joël

Fis2 (73100) 2012-02-02 6:47

Witaj Stephen!
Interesting place.
Beautiful object.
Good frame and composition.
I like basin.
Well done.
Have a nice afternoon.
Krzysztof

digbymerry (3998) 2012-02-02 7:40

Hello Stephen

An interesting and unusual photo. I like the POV and composition.

Best wishes

Digby

bayno (16195) 2012-02-02 11:09

Hi Stephen,
beautiful light side, a building that is perfectly preserved despite his age, I like the diseases reflections and the mosaic in the water, excellent framing, as a good Roman I say that they knew how to build eheheeh, nice colors too...
regards, Valter

Gigidusud (8054) 2012-02-02 13:12

Hello Stephen,
Beautiful Roman temple with nice reflections on the blue water!
Thanks for sharing.
Ghislaine

mauro61 (52527) 2012-02-02 15:09

ciao Stephen,
ben rappresentata questa architettura con una bella tonalità di azzurro che vivacizza la scena.
Ottimo il POV,
saluti
maurizio

emka (58140) 2012-02-02 23:35

Hi Stephen,

I prefer something more authentic but this temple looks very nice. I didn't known that it belongs to the California.
Beautiful pool with blue water - interesting reflections juxtaposed wioth the pattern on the bottom. Amazing quality for the old photo. Colours are still vivid, sharpness is superb.
What a splendid idea to celebrate silver wedding there.

Warm regrads

Malgo

Graal (88886) 2012-02-03 0:03

Hi Stephen,
an interesting place in California. Amazing temple in Roman style. Good composition. I like the reflectiona and colours also.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

kordinator (13411) 2012-02-03 0:39

Hello Stephen
Wonderful temple,you captured in California.
Lovely architecture.
I like the proportions and angle of shooting.
Fine lghting,nice contrasting colors.
Excellent sharpness and reflection.
Great job.
Kind regards
Saša

Cricri (86431) 2012-02-03 4:45

Hi Stephen
Un beau voyage en 1994 pour votre 25è anniversaire de mariage, félicitations...
J'aime le graphisme, la couleur de l'eau et les reflets bien utiliser en cadrage sur une magnifique architecture très bien présenter, très belle réalisation
Belle journée
cricri

francio64 (38188) 2012-02-03 14:08

Hi Stephen,
molto carino questo tempio in stile romano.
Ovviamente romano non può essere dato che ai tempi degli antichi romani, l'America non era ancora scoperta :)
Bello il contrasto con il blu dell'acqua della piscina, ottimamente inserita nella scena per dare profondità all'immagine.

TFS!
Francesco

batalay (32860) 2012-02-05 13:27

Hello Stephen,

A memorable event commemorated at an ideal place. You were a good photographer in 1994. The scan is spectacular! (Was it a slide or a negative?) So you were married in 1969, when I was a post-doc at the University of California in Berkeley. That was another memorable event, when hippies were smoking pot on the streets, and I would get a high by walking from the apartment on Telegraph Avenue to the Department. The Neo-Classical Hearst Castle, built by the Newspaper tycoon (a "Murdoch" of early era). In early December 2011 I stayed at a hotel in New York City. Mr. Hearst had a private elevator to ascend to his movie star mistress's flat in the hotel.

In 1978 I was in San Francisco, where I hired/rented a car, and asked the young woman at the car rental agency to have another one for me in two weeks, when I would return. Depressed, she said, "I won't be here. I am new at this job, and I just gave away a car!" I asked, "How on earth did you give away a car?" She explained, "A man came in to rent a car, but didn't have any identification on him. Another man, standing around in the office, offered to vouch for the man and showed his own ID. It was Randolph Apperson Heart, son of William Randolph Hearst, the builder of Saint Simeon." (You might remember the former as the father of Patricia Hearst, kidnapped by the domestic terrorists, who wound up embracing their cause). In any event, she continued, "They duped me!"

Two weeks later when I came back to San Francisco, I went into the car rental agency and found, to my surprise, that the young woman was still there. She told me, "It was Mr. Hearst!"

Sorry for the long story, but it stoked cells in my brain that had not bee used for years.

Warm regards,

Bulent

Didi (48926) 2012-02-08 17:54

Hi Stephen
Are you sure you were not in Greece ?
Very nice point of view on the temple.
Very good scan quality.
Best regards

delpeoples (44904) 2012-02-12 2:07

Hi Stephen

I hope you're on the mend and that the wrist isn't giving you too much trouble.

What an unsual sight, something we'd expect from Greece or Rome. Lovely reflections and attractive hues. Nic work. Enjoy your weekend.

Cheers
Lisa

PS: 25 years! You'd get less for murder :) But seriously, congratulations = and now it's 43 years, right?

Charo (51174) 2012-02-14 17:38

Bonsoir Stephen,
Une autre bonne photo numérisée et bonne composition.
Il est l'imitation très curieux d'un temple romain, j'aime particulièrement la clarté de l'eau nous permet de voir la magnifique toile de fond.
Excellente lumière et les couleurs.
Amitiés,
Charo

gunbud (34052) 2012-04-20 12:04

Hi Stephen,
Stunning architecture seen reflecting in the tranquil pool.
Love the blue water and intricate patters of this lovely pool.
Regards, Tom

amaryllis (30149) 2012-04-28 0:50

Bonjour Snunnezy
un très beau temple avec ce bassin et ses formes de carrés, une luminosité magnifique et un bon cadrage à la verticale
excellente composition
Juliette

COSTANTINO (42746) 2012-07-29 8:57

Hello
this is a wonderful page from a historian book
there is a great symmetry with the black lines
and the blue,lovely place and interesting details
the nice pov makes this composition more impressive
have a nice new week
regards
Costantino