Each country is interesting for its ancient and modern attractions, which annually attract hundreds of thousands, or even millions of tourists. And interesting places to visit can be not only castles, squares, palaces and parks, but also sculptural works - statues. We would like to talk about the most famous of them:
"The Little Mermaid" in Copenhagen, Denmark
Located in the city's port, the statue depicts the heroine of the fairy tale by G.H. Andersen's "The Little Mermaid". The miniature size of the statue (1.25 m in height and weight 175 kg) does not at all hinder its popularity - the statue is one of the iconic sculptures created on the theme of fairy tales. The construction of The Little Mermaid was commissioned in 1909 by Carl Jacobsen (son of the founder of the Carlsberg brewing company), who was fascinated by the ballet of the same name.
Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The monument is one of the most popular tourist attractions: about 1.8 million people visit this place every year to enjoy the picturesque views of the city, the bay, the Pan de Azucar mountain, the famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema and other symbols of Brazil.
"Venus de Milo"
One of the most famous ancient Greek sculptures is currently located in one of the galleries of the Louvre, Paris, France. The statue of Venus de Milo - the goddess of love Aphrodite from the island of Milos - was created from white marble, presumably in 130-100. BC, being one of the most ancient sculptures of all existing on Earth.
Moai stone sculptures on Easter Island, Chile
Moai are monolithic (carved from compressed volcanic ash) statues whose weight can reach 20 tons and height - more than 6 meters. However, we know about the discovery of an unfinished sculpture 20 meters high and weighing 270 tons. Currently, there are more than eight hundred moai on Easter Island, and all of them are located “facing” the center of the island.
Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in New York, USA
One of the most famous monuments in the world is often called “a symbol of New York, freedom and democracy,” and was a gift from French citizens for the 100th anniversary of the American Revolution. The height of the entire monument, including the base and pedestal, is 93 m (from the ground to the tip of the torch), the height of the Statue of Liberty itself is 46 m (from the top of the pedestal to the tip of the torch).
Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square in London, UK
The monument was erected in 1840-1843. in honor of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Perched atop a 46m granite column, the 5.5m tall statue faces south towards the Admiralty and Portsmouth - home of Nelson's flagship, the Royal Navy ship HMS Victory.
"Manneken Pis" in Brussels, Belgium
The most famous landmark of the Belgian capital is a miniature bronze statue-fountain in the form of a naked boy peeing in a swimming pool. No one knows about the exact time and circumstances of the appearance of the statue, but there is an opinion that it has existed since the 15th century and was allegedly erected in memory of the Grimbergen War, when a cradle with the son of Godfrey III of Leuven was hung on a tree so that the townspeople would be inspired the appearance of a future monarch. The kid wrote from there on the warriors fighting under the tree. Another opinion is that the “Pissing Boy” was originally intended to remind the city residents of the boy who, with a stream of urine, extinguished the ammunition that the enemy had laid out under the city walls.
Maitreya Buddha statue in Leshan, China
One of the most gigantic Buddha statues on the planet is carved into the rock of Mount Lingyunshan (Sichuan Province). The sculptural work was the tallest in the world for more than 1,000 years. Its creation began in 713, during the Tang Dynasty, and lasted for 90 years. The huge sculpture reaches a height of 71 m, while the head is about 15 m, the shoulder width is about 30 m, the nose is 5.5 m. The stone statue of Maitreya Buddha is included in the list of monuments World Heritage UNESCO.
Shiva Statue or Kailashnath Mahadev Statue in Sanga, Nepal
The construction of the statue, which is the world's tallest statue of Lord Shiva, began in 2004 and was completed in 2011. The height of the monument, made of cement, copper, steel and zinc, is 143 feet (about 43.58 m). The statue of Shiva is one of the first attractions of modern Nepal.
Great Sphinx in Giza, Egypt
Located on the western bank of the Nile River, the monumental sculpture is the oldest surviving on our planet. The Great Sphinx is a monolithic sculpture carved from limestone rock. It has long been believed that the face of the lion lying on the sand near the burial pyramid of Khafre bears a portrait resemblance to the pharaoh who reigned in 2558-2532. BC. Between the front legs of the 20 m high and 73 m long statue there was once a sanctuary.
"The Motherland is calling!" on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, Russia
And, of course, one cannot fail to mention the sculpture “The Motherland Calls!”, which is the compositional center of the monument-ensemble “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad.” It is one of the tallest statues in the world. The monument, in the form of a figure of a woman stepping forward with a raised hand holding a sword, is an allegorical image of the Motherland, calling on its sons and daughters to fight the enemy. The total height of the monument, made of blocks of prestressed reinforced concrete and installed on a concrete foundation 16 m deep, reaches 85 m. The female figure itself is 52 meters high and weighs more than 8,000 tons, and the sword, weighing 14 tons, reaches a length of 33 m.
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Without sculpture, art cannot be complete. Carving and sculpting people, animals and various objects appeared in the history of mankind almost simultaneously with rock art. Sculptures are the same paintings, only physical, and therefore expressing emotions a little differently. What statues tell us is much easier for us to perceive because they are tangible and more like us than works of any other form of art.
This material contains 15 famous and significant sculptures created in different times from different materials for different purposes.
David
Michelangelo
The five-meter statue of the biblical hero David, created by Michelangelo when he was only 28 years old, is perceived as a symbol of the Florentine Republic and one of the pinnacles of not only Renaissance art, but also of human genius in general.
The most replicated sculptural image in the world.
Thinker
Auguste Rodin
Another extremely popular image was created by Auguste Rodin in 1882. Initially, the sculpture was supposed to be called “The Poet” and be part of the composition “The Gates of Hell” based on the “Divine Comedy”. The model for the sculpture was a Frenchman named Jean Bo, a muscular boxer who mainly competed in Paris's red light district.
walking man
Alberto Giacometti
The most expensive sculpture in the history of mankind. In 2010, the 183-centimeter Walking Man sculpture, made by the Swiss sculptor in 1961, was auctioned at Sotheby's for a record $104.3 million.
The sculpture is considered one of the most important in the work of this master; its image is also featured on the 100 Swiss francs banknote.
Venus de Milo
probably Agesander of Antioch
The famous ancient Greek sculpture, created around the middle of the second century BC, was found on the island of Melos in 1820 by a French sailor who decided to search the coast for antiquities for sale. The hands were then safe and sound, but were lost during the conflict between the French (who found them) and the Turks (the owners of the island).
Nike of Samothrace
An ancient Greek marble sculpture of the goddess Nike was found on the island of Samothrace in the territory of the sanctuary of the Kabiri in April 1863. The statue was erected by the inhabitants of the island of Rhodes in memory of the victory they won over the fleet of the Syrian king.
She stood on sheer cliff above the sea, its pedestal depicted the bow of a warship. The powerful and majestic Nika, in clothes fluttering in the wind, is presented in an unstoppable movement forward. Currently located in the Louvre.
The statue is made of Parian marble, the right wing is a plaster reconstruction. The head and arms of the statue are missing. During further excavations, other fragments of the statue were discovered: in 1950, a team of archaeologists found her right hand, which was under a large stone, near where the statue was found.
Pieta
Michelangelo
Pieta is a common name for images of the scene of the Virgin Mary mourning her son. The best of them was made by Michelangelo at the age of 24. The impeccable composition, emotionality, humanity and deep symbolism of the sculpture made it an example of the culture of the High Renaissance.
Citizens of Calais
Auguste Rodin
The sculptural group "Citizens of Calais", commissioned by the municipality of Calais, was completed by Rodin in 1888. During the Hundred Years' War, the English king Edward III besieged the city, and after some time famine forced the defenders to surrender.
The king promised to spare the inhabitants only if six of the noblest citizens came out to him in rags and with ropes around their necks, giving themselves up for execution. This requirement was fulfilled. The first to volunteer to give his life to save the city was one of the main rich men, Eustache de Saint-Pierre. Queen Philippa of England was filled with pity for these emaciated people, and in the name of her unborn child, she begged forgiveness for them from her husband.
Rodin revolutionaryly insisted on abandoning the pedestal, although his will was carried out only after the death of the sculptor, and the figures are on the same level as the audience.
Pissing boy
The main attraction of Brussels. Exact time and the circumstances surrounding the appearance of the statue are unknown. According to some information, the statue existed already in the 15th century. Some Brussels residents say that it was installed as a reminder of the events of the Grimbergen War, when a cradle with the son of Godfrey III of Leuven was hung on a tree in order to inspire the townspeople with the sight of the future monarch, and the child from there urinated on the soldiers fighting under the tree.
According to another legend, the statue was originally intended to remind the townspeople of the boy who extinguished the ammunition laid out by the enemy under the city walls with a stream of urine.
Since 1695, the statue has been stolen several times, the last time the statue was stolen in the 1960s, after which it was once again replaced with a copy.
Terracotta Army
At least 8099 sculptures of Chinese warriors and their horses make up this property of China.
The terracotta statues, each completely individual, were buried in battle formation with the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty — Qin Shi Huang, who unified China and connected all the links of the Great Wall in the 3rd century BC. The warriors were supposed to support the power of the emperor in the afterlife.
Golden Buddha
The world's largest solid gold statue is located in Bangkok's Wat Traimit temple - it is about three meters long and weighs more than five tons.
During the war with Burma, the statue was deliberately covered with plaster, and then no one could reveal the secret of this Buddha. Until 1957, little attention was paid to the statue — until it was moved to a new location. According to rumors, during transportation it began to rain, before which the statue, due to its weight, also fell from the crane transporting it; It was sheltered from the rain, but the water still washed away the covering from one of the areas enough for one of the monks to notice a strange shine. According to another version, the plaster cracked from the fall.
All the statues that will be discussed are world landmarks and are located in most interesting countries peace. They are all different and not alike, but we have all heard about them at one time or another, because they are cultural heritage of all humanity.
Statue of Christ the Redeemer
Located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is one of the most famous and popular monuments in the world. Every year, at least 1.8 million tourists climb to its foot, from where a panorama of the city and the coastline opens up. picturesque mountain Pan di Azucar.
Moai
Located on Easter Island, Chile. These are stone statues made from compressed volcanic ash. All moai are monolithic, meaning they are carved from a single piece of stone rather than glued or fastened together. The weight sometimes reaches more than 20 tons, and the height - more than 6 meters (in addition, an unfinished sculpture was found 20 meters tall and weighing 270 tons). There are a total of 997 moai on Easter Island; how and why they were built is unknown. All of them, except for seven statues, “look” into the interior of the island.
"Little Mermaid"
Located in the port of Copenhagen, Denmark. This is a statue depicting the heroine of the fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. She is only 1.25 m tall and weighs about 175 kg, but this does not stop her from being one of the most iconic sculptures. Its construction was ordered in 1909 by Carl Jacobsen (son of the founder of the Carlsberg company) after he was fascinated by the ballet of the same name.
Buddha statue in Leshan
Located in the thickness of Mount Lingyunshan at the confluence of three rivers in Chinese province Sichuan. It is one of the tallest Buddha monuments and was once the tallest piece of sculpture in the world (which it has been for over a thousand years). Work on its creation took place during the reign of the Tang Dynasty (713) and lasted ninety years. The height of the statue is 71 m, the height of the head is almost 15 m, the shoulder span is almost 30 m, the length of the finger is 8 m, the length of the toe is 1.6 m, the length of the nose is 5.5 m. It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
"Great Sphinx"
Located on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The oldest surviving monumental sculpture on Earth. Carved from a monolithic limestone rock in the shape of a colossal sphinx - a lion lying on the sand, whose face, as has long been believed, was given a portrait resemblance to Pharaoh Khafre (c. 2500 BC), whose funeral pyramid is located nearby. The length of the statue is 73 meters, height is 20 meters; Between the front paws there was once a small sanctuary.
Statue of Liberty
Located on Liberty Island, about 3 km southwest of the southern tip of Manhattan, in New Jersey. It is often called a symbol of New York and the USA, a symbol of freedom and democracy. It is noteworthy that main symbol The US built it and was given to them by the French.
Venus de Milo
Located in the Louvre. This is the famous ancient Greek statue of the goddess Aphrodite, created approximately between 130 and 100 BC. Perhaps the most famous statue and one of the oldest in existence. The broken hands give it a special flavor.
Nelson's Column
Located in the center of Trafalgar Square in London. The column was built between 1840 and 1843 in memory of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The 5.5-meter statue is located on top of a 46-meter granite column. The statue looks south towards the Admiralty and Portsmouth - the site of Nelson's flagship, the Royal Navy ship HMS Victor. They say that Hitler wanted to take the convoy to Berlin after the successful capture of Great Britain.
"Manneken Pis"
It is one of the most famous landmarks in Brussels, Belgium. The exact time and circumstances of the appearance of the statue are unknown. According to some information, the statue existed already in the 15th century. Some Brussels residents say that it was installed as a reminder of the events of the Grimbergen War, when a cradle with the son of Godfrey III of Leuven was hung on a tree in order to inspire the townspeople with the sight of the future monarch, and the child from there urinated on the soldiers fighting under the tree. According to another legend, the statue was originally intended to remind the townspeople of the boy who extinguished the ammunition laid out by the enemy under the city walls with a stream of urine.
Shiva statue in Sanga, or Kailasnath Mahadev
It is located on the border of Bhaktapur and Kavrepalankok districts in Nepal. This is the tallest statue of the god Shiva and one of the tallest statues in general. Completed just a few years ago, it is made of copper, cement, zinc and steel and is one of Nepal's first modern landmarks.
Selecting a certain number of the most famous statues in the world is not so easy, since the concept of “most famous” is different for each nation. If, for example, for New Yorkers it is the Statue of Liberty, then for Copenhagen residents it is the Little Mermaid, for Volgograd residents it is the Motherland, and for residents of Prague it is the Kafka monument.
1. The work of the great Michelangelo “David”- is a symbol of the Renaissance and personifies the power of human creative genius. The young and ambitious Michelangelo created his David in 1501. to decorate the Florence Cathedral. Unlike the traditional image of David with the head of a defeated Goliath, the sculpture represents a young hero preparing to enter battle. Today, “David” is one of the most copied sculptures in the world.
2. Venus de Milo by unknown author. This legendary statue has graced the Louvre since 1821. According to experts, the sculpture was made in the period from 130 to 100 BC. Presumably, the authors of the work could have been the ancient masters Agesander or Praxiteles. The height of the white marble statue exceeds 2m. The statue was found in the ground in Milos in 1820. Then she was whole and had hands, but during conflict situations over her possession, the hands were damaged and are considered lost.
3. Rodin's work "The Thinker". It was also recognized as the author’s best work, although “The Thinker” was originally planned as part of a sculptural composition that was to decorate the gates of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris. But after completing the work, Rodin realized that the statue reveals a broader theme - a person experiencing a deep internal struggle. The image for the future sculpture was Dante himself.
4. Pietta by Michelangelo “Lamentation of Christ.” The sculpture, 174cm high, was created in 1499. and today it is a decoration of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. “Lamentation of Christ” is Michelangelo’s first and most famous pietta; it represents two life-size figures of the Virgin Mary and Christ: a mother holding her dying son in her arms. The author carved the composition from a single piece of marble.
5. Sculpture of Octavian Augustus. The first Roman emperor has been known to everyone since his school days; his main achievements were the cessation of internecine wars and the establishment of peace in Rome. The two-meter sculpture was found in 1863; it is a copy of the bronze original, which was created in 20 BC. The sculpture is said to be a portrait likeness of Octavian himself.
6. Sculpture by Rodin “The Kiss”. Love has always been the main inspiring force for artists. Rodin, imbued with the vibes of one of the most romantic couples in history, Paulo Malates and Francesca Rimini, created and dedicated his sculpture “The Kiss” to them. During the creation of the composition, the author himself was consumed by a wave of love for the young Camille Claudel, who was 26 years younger than Rodin, and therefore his work was perfectly able to convey all the sensuality and passion of such a classic plot.
7. Statue of Themis - the goddess of justice. She is one of the most recognizable in the world. A woman, blindfolded, with a scale in one hand and a sword in the other, determines the "weight" of a person's good and bad deeds in order to decide his posthumous fate. The double-edged sword not only promises retribution, but also warns of responsibility.
8. Masterpiece of the ancient Greek sculptor Myron – “Discobolus”. The original bronze sculpture, dating from the 5th century BC, is kept in National Museum Rome. Myron's contemporaries describe him as an unsurpassed expert in anatomy, but, unfortunately, he does not have the talent to reflect feelings on people's faces. The main characters of Myron's works were animals, gods and famous warriors.
9. Ancient sculpture “Hermes with the baby Dionysus” by the Greek Praxiteles. The author created his masterpiece around 330-340. BC. His marble work was discovered in 1877. during excavations of the Temple of Hera. The height of the sculpture on the pedestal was 3m70cm, Hermes himself is depicted 2m12cm tall. – he leans against a tree trunk, resting on the way. The baby, probably reaching for a bunch of grapes (it was not preserved, like one of Hermes’s hands), has, according to the tradition of classical art, the proportions of an adult.
10. Sculpture by master Silvio Go Jadson “Girl from Savannah feeding the birds.” The work was completed relatively recently - in 1936. The author created it as a garden sculpture to decorate the Massachusetts garden. Four copies were made of the statue and one of them was installed on the territory of the Savannah cemetery in Georgia.
Statue of Christ the Redeemer. Located in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). This is one of the most famous and popular large monuments in the world. Every year, at least 1.8 million tourists climb to its foot, from where a view of the entire city and the bay with the picturesque mountain Pan di Azucar opens up, famous beaches Copacabana and Ipanema, the giant bowl of the Maracana stadium, and other symbols of Brazil. (Photo: Magic Destination)
Moai. These are stone statues made from compressed volcanic ash. Are located on mysterious island Easter in Chile. All moai are monolithic, that is, cut from a single piece of stone, and not simply glued or fastened. The mass of the statues reaches more than 20 tons, and the height is over 6 meters (in addition, an unfinished sculpture 20 meters high and weighing as much as 270 tons was discovered!). In total, there are 997 moai on Easter Island, but no one knows how and why they were built. All of them, except for seven statues, are directed towards the interior of the island. (Photo: Kachina Ma"an/Pellowah)
Little Mermaid. Located in the port of Copenhagen in Denmark. This is a sculpture depicting the heroine of the fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. The height of the statue is only 1.25 m and weighs about 175 kg, but this does not prevent it from being one of the most famous sculptures on the theme of fairy tales. Its construction was ordered in 1909 by Carl Jacobsen (son of the founder of the Carlsberg company) after he was fascinated by the ballet of the same name. (Photo: The Jawa Report)
Buddha statue in Leshan, China. It is located in the thickness of Lingyunshan Mountain at the confluence of three rivers in Sichuan Province. It is one of the tallest Buddha monuments and was once the tallest sculpted creation in the world (which it was for over a thousand years). Work on its creation took place during the reign of the Tang Dynasty (713) and lasted ninety years. The height of the statue is 71 m, the height of the head is almost 15 m, the shoulder span is about 30 m, the length of the finger is 8 m, the length of the toe is 1.6 m, the length of the nose is 5.5 m. The Buddha statue is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . (Photo: Eric Finlayson/La Citadelle)
Nelson's Column. Located in the center of Trafalgar Square in London (England). The column was built between 1840 and 1843 in memory of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The 5.5-meter statue is placed on top of a 46-meter granite column. The statue faces south, towards the Admiralty and Portsmouth - the site of Nelson's flagship, the Royal Navy ship HMS Victor. According to rumors, Adolf Hitler wanted to transport the column to Berlin in the event of the capture of Great Britain. (Photo: RedCoat)
Great Sphinx. Located on the western bank of the Nile River in Giza (Egypt). This is the oldest surviving monumental sculpture on Earth. Carved from a monolithic limestone rock in the shape of a huge Sphinx - a lion reclining on the sand, whose face, as is commonly believed since ancient times, was given a portrait resemblance to Pharaoh Khafre (lived around 2500 BC), whose funeral pyramid is located nearby. The length of the statue is 73 meters, height - 20 meters; there used to be a small sanctuary between the front paws. (Photos of countries of the world)
Statue of Liberty. Located on Liberty Island, approximately 3 km southwest of the southern tip of Manhattan, in New Jersey (USA). She is often called the symbol of New York and the USA, a symbol of freedom and democracy, “Lady Liberty”. It is worth noting that the main symbol of the United States was built and presented to the Americans by the French.
Pissing boy. This is one of the most famous attractions in Brussels (Belgium). The exact time and circumstances of the construction of the statue are unknown. According to some sources, the statue was already in existence in the 15th century, probably from 1388. Some Brussels residents say that it was installed in memory of the events of the Grimbergen War, when a cradle with the son of Godfrey III of Leuven was hung on a tree in order to inspire the inhabitants of the city with the sight of the future monarch, and the baby from there urinated on the soldiers fighting under the tree. According to the second legend, from the very beginning the statue was intended to remind residents of the boy who extinguished the ammunition laid out by the enemy under the city walls with a stream of urine. (Photo: Pbrundel)
Shiva statue in Sanga, or Kailasnath Mahadev. It is located on the border of Bhaktapur and Kavrepalankok districts in Nepal. This tallest statue god Shiva and one of the most tall sculptures at all. Completed just a few years ago, it is made of copper, cement, zinc and steel, and is one of Nepal's first modern landmarks. (Photo: Kailashnath Mahadev Blog)
Venus de Milo. Located in the Louvre, Paris (France). This is a legendary ancient Greek sculpture of the goddess Aphrodite, created approximately between 130 and 100 BC. Probably the most famous statue and one of the oldest in existence. The broken hands give the Venus de Milo a special flavor. (Photo: Stevell/Panoramio)
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