Statue of Liberty
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Wolran Kim
December 2012
The artist is Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904), who was a representational sculptor in France in the 19th century. His masterpiece is Lion of Belfort and the Bartholdi Museum is in Colmar, where the Rhine River meets the French border. France wanted this statue as a gift to the United States in 1876 for the 100th anniversary of the independence of the U.S. but was presented in 1886 due to the Franco-Prussian War. The body of the Statue of Liberty is made with bashed copper-plate and is assembled on top of four large steel structures which were created by Eugène Emmanuel, Viollet-le-Duc, and Gustave Eiffel. Gustave Eiffel disassembled and assembled it to move it into the United States. The foundation of this statue was designed by architect Richard M. Hunt in 1877.
The official name is Liberty Enlightening the World and this statue became a representative symbol for the freedom country, the United States of America. This statue, holding a torch, symbolized freedom in her right hand and the Declaration of Independence to forever remember the 4th of July in 1776 in her left hand. She wears the snapped chains to show liberation from oppression in her ankles. The seven-pointed crown on her head portrays the world’s seven seas and freedom spreading widely all over the world. It takes about 3 hours to climb up to the top floor of the observatory through much inclined narrow spiral stairs. This statue has been the role of the vanguard of the American Dream for over one century. The length is 93.5m in height including the base, the length of the statue is 46m, the length of the hand is 5m, and the total weight is 225t.
The French politician, Edouard De Rabelais proposed the gift to the United States where the French liberals gathered to rejoice in victory the freedom of the United States. The U.S. was greeting the 100th anniversary of the founding of the nation after the abolition of slavery and the Civil War ended in 1876. Then Bartholdi was invited and sculptured the Statue of Liberty according to the request of Rabelais. This production was done in 1884, 14 years after and the Statue de la Liberte Eclairant le monde moved into the U.S.
A union committee of France and the United States, Comite de l'Union Franco-Americaine, was formed in 1875 and stated to create this statue. Eugene Viollet-Le-Duc’ (1814-1879), a great contemporary architect who restored the Notre Dame Cathedral, started to design this structure. The French government raised funds through people’s donations and lotteries of freedom. Pulitzer of the United States helped with funds through campaigning in his newspaper. Gustave Eiffel, who designed the Eiffel Tower, directed and Bartholdi sculptured. Bartholdi was impressed with the appearance of the giant pharaoh during a trip to Egypt and his mother became a model.
The intended audience is from New Yorkers to all citizens of the United States. Also, it is all human beings in the world who are yearning for freedom as the original name of this statue, Liberty Enlightening the World, states. We can see the meaning of freedom and equality that Americans look at through this symbolic image. We can understand the mythical significance and disparate concept between an ideal and the social reality of inequality. We can also consider the position of the U.S. in the world. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the U.S. promoting friendship, but became a symbol of the United States and a symbol of freedom in the world.
I went to New York City 10 years ago and access to this statue was barred to tourists, coincidentally due to 9-11. I just looked around in a boat while business photographers took family pictures with the statue in the background. It was ironic and sad because the symbol of freedom had taken away freedom due to the terror. 9-11 has changed lots of our society. I like Herbert Read’s interpretation of freedom, that complete freedom inevitably means demoralization or corruption. We can obtain freedom as long as we can pay for things like shopping. We cannot take freedom for license. Sanctions and laws to enjoy our freedom become restraints but remind us of the lesson that freedom is not free.
Sculptor Bartholdi gives us two lessons. The first one is his honest sincerity. He engraved this statue with might and main from the toe of the statue to the delicate cloak flowing and exerted his utmost strength in the invisible slender hairs. There was no plane when he made this and no one could verify his work. The head of this enormous statue would be a permanent secret if the plane was not invented. However, now people flying around in a helicopter above the head of the Statue of Liberty can learn the significance of his life, that he had done his best and didn’t even ignore the minor things.
The second lesson is the fact that the valuable thing is always near us. Bartholdi had spent a lot of time to find a model that could well represent the image of freedom. He was impressed with the appearance of the giant pharaoh during a trip to Egypt, but his final model was his mother. He tried to browse around the face of great heroes in history and to get referrals from many artists or sculptors, but his choice was his rustic mother, who was not a beautifully proportioned woman, as the symbol of freedom. We often look for precious things in distant places not near. Valuable things are always near us such as freedom that we realize its value after we lose.
=================
Wolran Kim
December 2012
The artist is Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904), who was a representational sculptor in France in the 19th century. His masterpiece is Lion of Belfort and the Bartholdi Museum is in Colmar, where the Rhine River meets the French border. France wanted this statue as a gift to the United States in 1876 for the 100th anniversary of the independence of the U.S. but was presented in 1886 due to the Franco-Prussian War. The body of the Statue of Liberty is made with bashed copper-plate and is assembled on top of four large steel structures which were created by Eugène Emmanuel, Viollet-le-Duc, and Gustave Eiffel. Gustave Eiffel disassembled and assembled it to move it into the United States. The foundation of this statue was designed by architect Richard M. Hunt in 1877.
The official name is Liberty Enlightening the World and this statue became a representative symbol for the freedom country, the United States of America. This statue, holding a torch, symbolized freedom in her right hand and the Declaration of Independence to forever remember the 4th of July in 1776 in her left hand. She wears the snapped chains to show liberation from oppression in her ankles. The seven-pointed crown on her head portrays the world’s seven seas and freedom spreading widely all over the world. It takes about 3 hours to climb up to the top floor of the observatory through much inclined narrow spiral stairs. This statue has been the role of the vanguard of the American Dream for over one century. The length is 93.5m in height including the base, the length of the statue is 46m, the length of the hand is 5m, and the total weight is 225t.
The French politician, Edouard De Rabelais proposed the gift to the United States where the French liberals gathered to rejoice in victory the freedom of the United States. The U.S. was greeting the 100th anniversary of the founding of the nation after the abolition of slavery and the Civil War ended in 1876. Then Bartholdi was invited and sculptured the Statue of Liberty according to the request of Rabelais. This production was done in 1884, 14 years after and the Statue de la Liberte Eclairant le monde moved into the U.S.
A union committee of France and the United States, Comite de l'Union Franco-Americaine, was formed in 1875 and stated to create this statue. Eugene Viollet-Le-Duc’ (1814-1879), a great contemporary architect who restored the Notre Dame Cathedral, started to design this structure. The French government raised funds through people’s donations and lotteries of freedom. Pulitzer of the United States helped with funds through campaigning in his newspaper. Gustave Eiffel, who designed the Eiffel Tower, directed and Bartholdi sculptured. Bartholdi was impressed with the appearance of the giant pharaoh during a trip to Egypt and his mother became a model.
The intended audience is from New Yorkers to all citizens of the United States. Also, it is all human beings in the world who are yearning for freedom as the original name of this statue, Liberty Enlightening the World, states. We can see the meaning of freedom and equality that Americans look at through this symbolic image. We can understand the mythical significance and disparate concept between an ideal and the social reality of inequality. We can also consider the position of the U.S. in the world. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the U.S. promoting friendship, but became a symbol of the United States and a symbol of freedom in the world.
I went to New York City 10 years ago and access to this statue was barred to tourists, coincidentally due to 9-11. I just looked around in a boat while business photographers took family pictures with the statue in the background. It was ironic and sad because the symbol of freedom had taken away freedom due to the terror. 9-11 has changed lots of our society. I like Herbert Read’s interpretation of freedom, that complete freedom inevitably means demoralization or corruption. We can obtain freedom as long as we can pay for things like shopping. We cannot take freedom for license. Sanctions and laws to enjoy our freedom become restraints but remind us of the lesson that freedom is not free.
Sculptor Bartholdi gives us two lessons. The first one is his honest sincerity. He engraved this statue with might and main from the toe of the statue to the delicate cloak flowing and exerted his utmost strength in the invisible slender hairs. There was no plane when he made this and no one could verify his work. The head of this enormous statue would be a permanent secret if the plane was not invented. However, now people flying around in a helicopter above the head of the Statue of Liberty can learn the significance of his life, that he had done his best and didn’t even ignore the minor things.
The second lesson is the fact that the valuable thing is always near us. Bartholdi had spent a lot of time to find a model that could well represent the image of freedom. He was impressed with the appearance of the giant pharaoh during a trip to Egypt, but his final model was his mother. He tried to browse around the face of great heroes in history and to get referrals from many artists or sculptors, but his choice was his rustic mother, who was not a beautifully proportioned woman, as the symbol of freedom. We often look for precious things in distant places not near. Valuable things are always near us such as freedom that we realize its value after we lose.