Thursday, February 05, 2009

Thursday Theme: Statue

The statue is therefore nothing but the sum of all it has acquired. May not this be the same with man?
—L'Abbé de Condillac
I would much rather have men ask why I have no statue, than why I have one.
—Cato


Guest photographer D braved the bitter cold to capture this public art in a section of Southern City. But after consideration, I believe they are sculptures, not statues. Especially after considering the quotes, above. Frankly, I can't think of a statue around here.

The Bluff View's benefactor, in bronze.

This artist has some work in New York, I believe.

Joggers enjoy giving this Great Dane a high five




The early morning photographer casts a long shadow over all he surveys..

32 comments:

Gledwood said...

most people have no statue because their lives are ordinary and only a tiny tiny select 100 or so have ever been remembered longer than 5 centuries...

in the end we all are ordinary and forgettable but what makes me feel dewy and tearful is that really this is not so: people are SO valuable and SO memorable and why we should ever have to let go is just beyond me

Merle Sneed said...

I'm with Cato.

Kurt said...

We will all be completely forgotten someday, so what does it matter if it's in 10 years or in 10,000?

Joanne said...

Even the photographer's shadow seems to me a statue, intangible, mobile.

JGH said...

You've got all manner of species represented there.

Do action figures count as statues? If so, we're doing good here.

Skybridge Studios said...

Fantastic photos -- a collection of heroes!

Anonymous said...

"Omne ignotum pro magnifico est." As quoting Tacitus(A.D.55-117)or "Anything we haven't seen before is marvellous." What is a statue but a larger version of a sculpture?

lettuce said...

hmmmm, not sure now whether mine are statues or sculptures

can't be bothered to put any mental effort into working out the diff. though!

great pictures, i do like the great dane

lettuce said...

oh and btw, apparently theres something waiting for me to pick it up at the post office...

Roy said...

As far as I'm concerned, if it's a sculpture set up in a public place, and said sculpture is supposed to make a statement about said place, it's a statue. And even then, the public part might not be necessary; after all, we have garden statuary, don't we?

I would love to see the joggers giving that dog a high-five! And that horse is very interesting, indeed. There was one very like that it that featured in one of the Inspector Lynley Mysteries; it was made of driftwood.

Tom said...

I love the downtown areas that have statues/sculptures strewn about, like treasures found tucked away in corners and down side streets.

Baino said...

Are these in Greenville? I have a friend who lives there and it's dotted with the most beautiful statues, I'm sure I've seen the Dane before. And that man looks like my dad with one of his grandchildren. Excellent.

mouse (aka kimy) said...

good assortment of statues (or would it be sculptures!)

love the hhigh five-ing great dane.

we got a bunch of those little tom otterness figures here in cleveland at the cleveland public library reading garden....in fact this guys figures are everywhere! I think I have a couple pics of them in the nyc subway....but can't remember when I snapped them so they are essentially lost....

you know the more I think of it I think all of these figures are statues and sculptures!!!!!

mouse (aka kimy) said...

here is what the educational website called "what is art?" has to say:

What are the various forms of art? When you think of art, what do you think of? Paintings & statues are common answers. (If your students use the word statues, bring up the difference between the words "statue" and "sculpture". "Statue" suggests sculpture that is realistic, usually representing the human form. "Sculpture" is a broader term, because many, like the styrofoam sculpture shown above, are abstract.)

New Yorker wannabes said...

beautiful pictures!

thank you for visiting my blog as well. Glad I found theme Thursday...till next time

Take care
peace and love
xoxo

Coffee Messiah said...

All great, and I concur with J, the shadow is indeed a statue of sorts too ; )

Thanks 4 joining in!

Cheers!

angela said...

I've never considered the difference between statues and sculptures so that's something to ponder..

The horse..reminded me a little of the Thestrals in Harry Potter :))
And the Great Dane..wonderful, both the statue and the thought of the high fives..

Barbara said...

It's been fun to see how many different statues people have come up with. I'm impressed with all of your photo archives!

e said...

Great photos! I, too, like the Dane! If you still want a letter for the word game, try Y and thanks for your comments on my posts!

Betty said...

Statues or sculptures? Sculptures or statues? I like kimy's quote about the difference. I like your photos too!

Crazy Ass Beastard said...

I like your photo assortment of castings (foundry guy talk for sculptural creations). Personally, I have never cared what they were called as long as the person(s) loved them enough to purchase them in the first place. Just the fact that someone is willing to spend their hard earned money to have a piece in their home or garden carries added meaning to the sculptor.

CocoDivaDog said...

good evening tut,
sculpture vs. statue?
I was struggling with the exact same thing, but didn't have the time or energy to research it.

I must admit, my fav photo on your post was the one of the long-legged early morning shadow...

thank your for adding me on your Follow List. I will follow you too. I've been lurking for a while now. Time to follow!
PS
what does "tut" mean?

Kris McCracken said...

A good mix here.

I wonder what it means to erect a statue to yourself?

Dakota Bear said...

One person's statue is another person's sculpture.

Your selections are great.

Anonymous said...

Very nice little tour, wherever it is. Great photos. The long shadow I would describe as 'statuesque.' How 'bout that?
As for the difference, I like Runmotman's reference to "statues/sculptures."

Good one, Tut!

red dirt girl said...

oh dear,

i forgot.
i forgot today was statue day.
i forgot i said i'd participate.
i forget much these days.
but i have not forgotten
to stop by and view your wonderful photos and read your posts.

thank heaven for small miracles.
like you, ms. tut-tut!

xoxo
rdm

Squirrel said...

D. is as good as my assistant, Subzy Squirrel. Award winning shots!

Anonymous said...

Does it seem like more cities are investing in outdoor art? I think it's a great trend.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for dropping by.

All your photos are great quality- i wish i could take them lke that!

Sculpture v Statue- well your shadow looks stauesque!

edward said...

hello, nice photos.

tony said...

The Shadow Looks Like A Sculpture!

Dot-Com said...

Loved the pictures, not least the one with the shadow. Brilliant!