Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Corner View - Statues





For this week's Corner View theme I am returning to my home country of England, to take a look at four iconic statues.

1/ The Water of Life, Chester.

Stephen Broadbent's bronze sculpture, the Water of Life, in Chester Cathedral's cloister garden, is one of the most beautiful in the world. Completed in 1994, it stands 3.3 m high, and depicts the encounter between Jesus and the woman of Samaria -a good Samaritan - who gave him water from a well, as recounted in John's gospel.

"Jesus said, 'But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:14.

2/ The Angel of the North, Gateshead.

Antony Gormley's massive Angel of the North is probably now the most famous statue in England. The steel sculpture was erected by the side of the A1 motorway, just outside the industrial town of Gateshead, in 1994. It is 20m tall, has a wingspan of 54m and is the largest sculpture of an angel in the world. Look closely at the photo and you will see the tiny human figures at its base.

3/ Robin Hood, Nottingham.

Robin Hood is Nottingham's main tourist attraction, and people come from all over the world to to see his statue, which stands in front of the walls of Nottingham Castle. James Woodford's statue of the legendary outlaw was given to the city by E.F. Clay in 1949. While I was taking this photo, a Japanese visitor told me that he had travelled half-way round the world just to be photographed standing next to it( lucky I was there!).

4/ Statue of Eros, London

Alfred Gilbert's Statue of Eros, which stands in the middle of Piccadilly Circus in London's Soho district was, until the Angel of the North was erected, the most iconic statue in England. Erected in 1892, it was the first statue in the world to be made of aluminium. In the Victorian era, the unveiling of a statue of a nude archer in the middle of what was to become London's red light district was somewhat contorversial, but now it is one of the favourite meeting places in the city. Although it is generally believed to represent Eros, Gilbert actually designed it to depict Eros's brother, Anteros, the God of requited love.

21 comments:

  1. Great pics and good info! Thanks.

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  2. I guess a picture of the last statue is in every english schoolbook in Germany.
    Thanks for all this detailed info.
    I'm glad that now I hopped on corner view wagon as well.

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  3. All are truly master pieces! The details are amazing. xo

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  4. great selection, to stand in front of the 2nd one must be an incredible experience ...

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  5. thanks for sharing ... and like isabelle - must be special to stand in front of no 2. It looks amazing.

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  6. No wolf, no baby, no Romulus or Remus, but beautiful places here ! And now, I know everything about the Angel of the North ! Thanks !

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  7. Wonderful! the one of Robin Hood looks like the one of a Samurai with the blossoming tree nearby. Thanks also for the comments. Have a lovely day!

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  8. I really like the Angel of the North! He looks like a man about to leap from that hill to try out his DaVinci style wings.

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  9. I love the first one, really beautiful!!

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  10. love your site, ian. the post about kiev was great as was the one about antigua.

    everything about this post was poetic. the first fountain and it's gorgeous energy and the panache of all four.

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  11. number 2 is AMAZING. i would love to see that one in person and bask in its largesse. and the robin hood would delight my kids for sure.

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  12. Leave it to you to have the coolest ones. LOVE #2.

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  13. how amazing I love your blog!!!

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  14. Great bit of English history, legend, and lore.
    Thanks! Nice statues:)

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  15. ohhh I love traveling through your blog!!

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  16. The first statue/fountain is magnificent! Thank you Ian for sharing them all.

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  17. The top two are especially superb! Thanks for sharing!

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  18. angel of the north is cool (went to uni in newcastle so I have a bit of a soft spot for the north east ;)

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