The response to our recents
Hands in the Sands was so good that we decided it would be a great idea to hand things over to
you for a while. So, with no more ado, let's get on with it. What is your favorite sculpture? I know that these things can change and I did think of appending the post's title with
at the moment. However, we will leave the question as it is.
If you could, please send me your favorite sculpture (
I wish! I should say details thereof) to taliesyn30@aol.com - or leave a message in the comment box below. Please tell us
what, where and by whom - and if possible a few sentences explaining
why it is your favorite. Plus
your own name or handle (and country too if possible). We can start with mine. Although it is contemporary, don't let that stop you submitting something from Ancient Greece if it is your favorite! I should be able to source high quality copyright free images - fingers crossed - but if it is something lesser known and you have taken some cool pictures yourself, please send them too!
Mine is a fairly new sculpture, only two years old. It is called
El alma del Ebro or in English
The Soul of the Ebro, after the largest river in Spain. It is the work of
Jaume Plensa who was born in Barcelona in 1955. The sculpture is was specially commissioned for the International Exposition in Zaragoza. The theme of the exhibition ws
Water and Sustainable Development. It encapsulated both my interest in the environment and in very, very large pieces of art - it is eleven meters in height. The letters represent the cells of the human body which of course is made mostly of water. White lettering and a hollow interior invite you to take a look inside, to
peer indeed - and perhaps to reflect on our very personal relationship with H20.
Direct emails first!
1. Nike of Samothrace
From
Melissa, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
"When I was 19 I took a 'sabatical' from college (after failing most of my classes) and convinced my parents to let me go to Paris and study french for a semester. Among other things, I wandered around museums and parks, writing in my journal, trying to figure out the course of my life and generally wasting time. One day at the Louvre I turned the corner and there she was, in all of her winged glory, soaring high above me. I swear I heard trumpets. It was there that I decided to start on the long road of unemployment and became an art history student. I worked for an auction house but am now a repressed housewife who dreams of those afternoons spent wandering with my journal & colored pencils. Some day I'll see her again......"
Commenter's Choices..(with a comment or two of my own!)
From
Rozelle:
My favourite is The Motherland Calls in Mamaev Kurgan, Volgograd (previously Stalingrad). It's 85m tall and was named the tallest sculpture in the world from 1967 to 1989. I love the ferocious look on her face, it really does conjure up a Mother protecting her children from threat.
and here she is...
Yes, she is certainly scary - you wouldn't want her to be your mother if you were late for your dinner, that's for sure! She belongs to a school of sculpture that isn't necessarily in vogue at the moment, representing such a full on and dare I say
nationalistic stance. However, having said that I am sure that history will judge her for her aesthetics more than the politics that stimulated her birth.
From
Kaylar:
When I read the title, immediately Picasso's Goat came to mind. I've tried to shove it out, electing other, nicer scuptures; but there is just something about an artist using virtual garbage to create an animal that eats garbage..and I won't mention how he got the patina to look that way either
There were a few to choose from here (for reasons best left to a psychologist, Picasso had a thing about goats), so I am guessing that you meant this one, Kaylar! It certainly does have a certain patina - now just how was that created?
OK - over to you!
