I am obsessed with statues! I know, it’s a bit weird. I think it started when I watched Clash of the Titans when I was a little girl and the statue of the Goddess Thetis came alive with Dame Maggie Smith’s face superimposed on it. It freaked me out, but at the same time I couldn’t stop looking! I had a similar experience as a teenage visitor to New York and saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time. I just couldn’t believe the magnitude of the statue before me, and I think the early cinematic memories from ‘The Planet of The Apes’ (1968) were etched into my psyche. The closing scene which shows the Statue of Liberty only from the chest upwards, haunted me as a child!
London is a fantastic city in which to indulge one’s interest for statues, but if you can’t get to London yourself, have a look at this book – it’s full of beautiful colour photos and background information into the lives of the subjects.
A fabulous book on the subject
On a recent trip to St Paul’s I spent some time looking at the cathedral and some of its many statues. The monument to Queen Anne is flanked by four ladies representing England, Ireland, France and North America.
I think my love of statues also stems from the fact that I also loved Greek mythology as a girl. I was an avid reader who became easily engrossed in stories, and was rather prone to day-dreaming! I would stare at the pictures in the books, and always wanted to see more pictures than were there. When I started becoming interested in art, my appetite for myths returned as so many painters depicted heros and heroines in a way I had never encountered before.
The painting below is by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1693-1770) (photographed from An Introduction to GreekMythology by David Bellingham, 1989).
‘Zeus sits in majesty on a cloud, while Hermes performs aerobatics above; Aphrodite sits with Eros (Cupid) aboard a chariot pulled by sacred doves; Athene appears below.’
Paintings like like reignited my love for myths and stories by adding another dimension to them for me.
A monument to Queen Anne who reigned from 1665 -1714
North America – I love the lizard and the severed head
Ireland
England
France
Look at the detail on her sash – looks like a gorgon’s head
