Skip to main content

Places of Sculpture - The Northeast Coast

Image
By
I have this weird dream about living on the east coast, and I'm positive that one of the reasons is the artwork there. I'm not talking about the upscale galleries in New York that sell extremely modern art and nothing else, but about the public art. Have you ever wondered why people love to go to places like Rome and Paris? Now you know.

I want to start off with New York. We all know about the Statue of Liberty. I don't even need to post pictures, but that is one freaking fantastic statue. Next on my list isn't as impressive, but it's still pretty good.

Columbus Monument in Columbus Circle, Central Park, New York
This is a monument to Christopher Columbus. No, that's not him that you can see there, but an angel (really quite subtle and lovely). Chris is at the top, which is hard to see from there. Here's another view:

Columbus Circle Sculpture, top, Christopher Columbus
Personally, I like the angel figure at the bottom better than the Columbus one on top. By now, though, you should have realized that I'm biased toward things with wings.
Since I've already covered D.C. a little bit, I'll skip over that for now and move an interesting piece in New Hampshire.

Daniel Webster Memorial, New Hampshire State House
This is a memorial for Daniel Webster, politician and orator, at the State House in Concord. Actually, this one is indoors in D.C., but there is a bronze outside the state house in New Hampshire. I liked this one because of the expression on this guy's face. The artist (Carl Conrads after Thomas Ball, who I think did the original) captured something so incredibly lifelike here. It looks like you caught him in a thinking moment, and it might take a couple tries to snap him out of it.

Ethan Allen in Burlington, Vermont
I recently came across this statue of Ethan Allen in Burlington, Vermont. I think it's another one of those where he looks like he's going to just keep walking, down the make-shift steps of the monument, and make a speech. Impressive.

Appeal to the Great Spirit, Boston
Ooh! Ooh! On to one of my favorite spots! BOSTON! (Can you tell I'm excited?)

Appeal to the Great Spirit by Cyrus Dallin is one of Dallin's most priceless and memorable statues he's ever done. It's graceful, it's a magnificent male figure (I don't know why, but there aren't a lot of those that happened after Michelangelo), and again it's one of those statues that might just start moving if you stare at it long enough. I like that, though he is obviously praying, that his head is leaned back and not bowed forward. Most of us, in trying situations, can do either, but it makes this statue stand out and connects with some of our most inner thoughts.

The Shaw memorial by August Saint-Gaudens
I'm pretty sure I did a piece on Saint-Gaudens a few years back, but I have to mention this one again. I want to go to Boston, and this is the main reason. This is the memorial to the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, the all-black team of soldiers led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. After I saw Glory when I was seventeen, I never forgot it. And this of all things shows us terrified yet brave soldiers who went into a battle that they probably knew they weren't going to win. My favorite is the angel at the top (surprised?). She represents that angels might have been there, not just to save them but to lead them home. Tissue, anyone?

General William Tecumseh Sherman, Central Park
Okay, so I'm jumping around a bit, but why not end with New York? This is another statue by Saint-Gaudens of General William Tecumseh Sherman, who served in the Union Army during the civil war. Maybe I like Saint-Gaudens because he does incredible angels. All of his statues are quite good, and he is often spoken of as the greatest American sculptor in history.

Until next time, enjoy the sculptures lining your downtown streets.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Among the Italians, with Giulio Monteverde

By
The first time I saw a statue by Giulio Monteverde it stole my breath. As I watched my husband scroll through images of his sculpture on Google yesterday, I knew he was the next sculptor I was going to talk about. He was born in the very small province of Bistagno, Italy, and attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. He was also a senator, but I think that's the least of his achievements. The Boy Columbus, from Wiki Commons The first piece I want to talk about is The Boy Columbus. It's obvious at first glance that Monteverde has a way with subtlety and form that knows how to just ignite your interest and imagination. Columbus has been caught in a moment of formulation, as if he's staring at a point he can't really see because he's concentrating on something else entirely. Thought This next piece, called Il Pensiero which translates in English to Thought , is a striking and powerful multi-figure sculpture. An allegorical masterpiece with a glimpse at one...
Post a Comment
Read more

Now: Up at the Springville Museum of Art

By
It's finished! Isn't it always nice when you can say something like that? With all the work that went into this relief, Mike is ready for vacation. Even the casting process put him through a physical and emotional ride. The work that goes into creating something, from concept to finished product, is amazingly strenuous and impressive. When I try the process myself I tend to give up, so I have a tremendous respect for artists in general. Last night we went to the opening of the Fall Show at the Springville Museum of Art. There were a LOT of people there. I think they ran out of cups for water. But it was a nice evening, with beautiful art, and great people. Mike has received continuous awards in this show for the last...seven years? Eight, maybe? This is how you know that he works hard and puts a lot of himself into his pieces. Not only is he good, but he uses his talents and knowledge for good. He creates pieces that convey messages about important qualities and eleme...
Post a Comment
Read more

Now: Time for Wax

By
Though my post is a little late, cut me some slack. It's raining and gorgeous outside, and we've been enjoying it. Might sound crazy, but I am so glad this summer is over.  Tomorrow we head to Baer Bronze to check the metal. Before that, Mike had to go out there to check the wax:  Mostly, this blog is going to be in photos. Because the photos are awesome and speak for themselves. When I look at this wax, I'm not sure what the purpose is. Here's what I know: Mike's pieces are cast using the Lost Wax method, which means the piece is cast in wax first, remolded, and then when the bronze is poured the wax is burned away. Hence, the lost wax method.  This is an amazing shot. What I like about this broken wax piece is the detail you can see. This is pretty much what the bronze will look like. You know, minus the attachments on the bottom.  There are some of the pieces that had to be removed and cast separately. The wolf is one of my favorite figures from thi...
Post a Comment
Read more