Art in the public realm, unit 3

Unit 3, Art in the Public Realm

By Megan Lowe-­‐1862 New College, Swindon

What is Public Art?

“Public art is art in any media that has been planned and executed with the intenTon of being staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all.”

Public art is not an art “form” in itself it is simply art that is commissioned to be viewed and enjoyed by a diverse society. Public art is oNen described as non judgmental due to the fact that it can viewed by everyone. The term ‘public art’ can be described as an umbrella term and there are many ways to define it, however, the underline is that public art is any work purchased or commissioned with public funds. A major advantage of public art is that it is accessible by all. Public art can have any subject that the commissioner or arTst wants. Usually the art work would have a moral or a purposeful story behind or represent the people of area where it is being presented. ONen public art can also have a historical meaning and relaTon to the area and represent a historical event that had happened in that area. Sculpture has been a prominent and easy way to produce public art for thousands of years, from ancient Tme to today arTsts and sculptures have created statues and sculptures and placed them in various places, such as; in churches, in niches even in parks and community gathering areas. The Greeks used sculpture to tell ancient mythological stories and to depict their great leaders of the Tme. Very rarely public art is ever sold as its main objecTve is to be viewed and enjoyed by everyone, however it has been known to be aucToned off mainly for fundraising purposing.

The Great Blondinis, John Clinch, was made using remaining pieces of metal cast at the Great Western Railway. This uTlitarian focal point makes it personal to Swindon and a\ributes one of the proudest parts of Swindon. Many people say that this is a monument to collaborate between the sculptor and local craNspeople. The project began with 100 arTsts submi^ng their ideas, then being narrowed down to 50 proposals, those 50 people small replica models. ANer the lengthily discussions John Clinch was selected. He then went on to spend two weeks in the non-­‐ferrous foundry at BriTsh Rail’s Engineering Work-­‐the project was a morale boaster for the workers there.

The sculpture shows two circus performers. One male stood on a circus ball with a female carrying an umbrella stood on the mans shoulders. They are both wearing typical circus clothing, such as Tght leotards with leggings. The bright colours also bring a sense of “all the fun at the fair” and the bright colours unify the characters. The mans face looks slightly strained as expected from someone carrying another on their shoulders.

The Great Blondinis originally stood in Wharf Green, however it became graffiTed over Tme and so it disappeared unTl it was relocated in a county park in Gorsehill.

I used to see this sculpture as child as it was in my local town centre however I never understood the significance of the materials used.

However, looking at it now makes me feel proud to be from Swindon and to have such a rich history in the railway industry. I have seen pictures from 2004/2005 before this sculpture was restored and when I visited it in late 2014 you can such a miraculous change it in and there is minimal graffiE on it now. Its impact conEnues to inspire me.

As we can see on the Blondinis, John Clinch has used very bright and vivid colours to make the sculpture stand out. The bright colours also represent the circus performers. The male is dressed in blue, yellow and orange. Blue and orange are opposite on the colour wheel-­‐this makes them complimentary colours. The women is wearing pink and blue also with orange shoes. As you can see below nearly every aspect of the colour wheel is covered.

This is the sculpture just before it was removed from Wharf Green in 2005.

Current locaTon in Gorse Hill

Wharf Green

The Blondinis were badly treated in their first locaTon in Swindon town centre and therefore moved to Gorse Hill in Swindon. When they were moved, the council decided not to fill its place with more public art as the same ordeal was likely to happen. The sculpture was a centre piece of Wharf Green in Swindon. This is it on the leN-­‐it was just a general seaTng area and through way on the out skirts of the town centre. The Blondinis would be classed by many as the centre piece of the green, however there is nothing there now to take its place other than the ‘big screen’ a giant plasma TV mounted on the wall. This shows us how Tmes change and we now do not have a narraTve sculpture and technology has taken its place.

This is the Diana Dors sculpture by John Clinch in 1991, it is made from bronze. This is a flamboyant tribute to one of Swindons most famous residents.

It shows the glamorous film star Diana Dors. Born Diana Fluck, the actress rose to fame in the 30’s with her ‘Monroesque’ look. We can see Diana fi^ngly posing outside of a cinema complex in West Swindon not far from where she was born.

The statue is bronze and finished with a slightly shiny paTna that glorifies the sculpture. The sculpture is a li\le larger than life and stands on a plinth and looks directly out, this means that she never makes eye contact with the viewer, this heightens her status and puts her above everyone else. She also has a very posed and serious expression on the face, this is because that is most likely how you would see her as a distant celebrity, not the home loving li\le girl she was when she first lived in Swindon.

VisiEng this sculpture-­‐even before studying it-­‐ gives you a grand sense of grandeur and like you’re in the presence of royalty. This is how people described being in the presence of Diana Dors.

We can see Diana Dors on the famous Beatles St Peppers here in the same pose and wearing similar clothes to the statue in West Swindon.

The Watchers by Carleton A\wood was made of cement fondue. The project was funded b y R.S. McColl and E.H.Bradley Building Projects irnepresents t r A Ltd. The slculpture guardian figure looking over the

c i b u

community and o protecTng The sculpture depicts three figures P nhat we wthem. d and a dog, t his i s w ould a ssume a nuclear family to be. n i w S

The figures are stood in front of one another and stand in descending order. The characters are all wearing cloak-­‐like drapery which unifies the figures and makes them appear as one.

There is no applied colour and minimal decoraTon, this again makes the family seem ‘normal’ and feel like the guardian family could live next door.

I was astonished when I learned of this sculpture as I used to walk past this sculpture at least four Emes a week and I had never noEced it there before. I think this says a lot about this parEcular sculpture. The fact that I had never noEced it and never understood the significance of it shows its lack of power to convey its message. This is typical of public art in the 21st Century, the meanings and reasoning's have been lost over Eme.

Public sculpture in Swindon is popular however, some of the most well known public art in Swindon is the Ken White Murals. The first Swindon murals resulted from community efforts in 1975. One of the first was the George and the Dragon mural based on Uccello and painted by volunteers. A lot of the murals in Swindon have been painted and/or overseen by Ken White. An example of his sense of locality is the Golden Lion Bridge mural. He used archive material to recreate part of the environment adjacent to the gable end; to remind residents of the importance of canals as well as railways in local history. By using this vast resource, arTsts can reclaim a sense of place and belonging to a community.

Thomas Gleeson was born in South Wales but moved to Sydney when he was young. He graduated from the University of Sydney with a bachelor of science in mathemaTcs and physics. Since his early educaTon Gleeson has turned his hand to everything inlcuding; being in a band, appearing on Tele, Radio and being a comedian.

We can see to the leN another sculpture that Gleeson did in 1987 that stood outside The Princess Margaret Hospital also in Swindon unTl 2001 when it was resited to the new Swindon hospital-­‐The Great Western. We can see a similar use of faceted forms. We can see that this is a preferred way that Gleeson worked.

Gorilla, Thomas Gleeson, Swindon (Queens Park) it was placed here in 1985 but resited in early 1994. It is made using steel sheets and then Gleeson welded the steel sheets together to create the Gorilla. The Gorilla was purchased by Thamesdown Borough Council following a popular exhibiTon in Theatre Square and it became the giN to Swindon from Thamesdown Council. Just by looking we can see that it is a Gorilla, however with the faceted forms we can see slightly abstracted elements of the animal. The Gorillas face looks as though he is smiling and he looks happy and placid. This is unusual to see such a wild animal in such a calm ad friendly manner.

Public art can be the subject on controversy as well as the much loved presence that we know. For example, Henry Moores Draped Seated Women (Old Flo), 1957. The beyond life size sculpture has caused up roar over the ownership and future of the sculpture.

Henry wanted Old Flo to be kept in the public realm however, Tower Hamlet Council plan to sell the sculpture to a private collector.

The sculpture links to the Bethnal Green tube shelter disaster. This occurred on Wednesday the 3rd March 1973 in the East End of London. On this day 173 people died in a crush at the staTons bomb shelter. The public thought they could smell burning so they came running in and then a women carrying her child slipped on the step, which in turn made others slip and there was a crush. There was however no bomb struck that night and no death was directly a result of military aggression making thus the deadliest civilian incident of World War Two.

Henry Moore was an offical War arTst as we can see from his drawing on the leN. Shelter Scene: Bunks and Sleepers, 1941, Watercolour. As we can see in this painTng to the leN Moore’s work is painted in a sketchy or ebauche manner.

This is similar in the sculpture of Old Flo and the way in which he sculpts her drapery is similar to the blankets in the painTng.

It is said that the figure of Old Flo represents all the strong female characters and feminine characterisTcs of World War Two waiTng in the bomb shelters.

The statue was giNed to the STfford Estate in the East End but has been on loan to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park for the past 15 years. In 2012 the Mayor Lusur Rahman made the controversial decision to sell Old Flo to provides funds to cover the budget cuts from the government. This promoted outrage from councillors and residents.

Consequently, the sale had been delayed.

However, in October 2013 it was decided that she would be sold as soon as possible.

There have been several protests against the sale of the sculpture many lead by the contemporary arTst Bob&Roberta Smith.

Bob&Roberta Smith born as Patrick Brill is a main advocate for Old Flo and acTvely protests against the sale of Moores work.

Here we can see when a group protested against the sale and posing and holding signs saying “not for sale”

The picture on the top leN shows a picture taken by Amy Pennington in the 1960’s showing where Old Flo was supposed to sit.

This space outside the Ewhurst Tower Block now leN empty.

I have seen a cast of the Old Flo in the Tate Britain in London. The thing that most surprised me was the undercu^ng used in the drapery. We can even see some negaTve space within the drapery. The use of materials can allow for this to happen.

I also saw a small maraque\e made during the planning of Old Flo. Its interesTng to see a small version of the final product.

To stress the importance of public art and its presence within local communiTes, one could consider the controversial pracTce of stealing local artworks.

Working around the same Tme as Henry Moore was Barbara Hepworth. In 1969 Hepworth sculpted Two Forms (Divided Circle) a bronze sculpture. The sculpture is late work created just six years before Hepworths death in 1975.

As we can see the sculpture it a circle sliced in half symmetrically down the middle with two smaller

However in 2011 the sculpture was stolen from its permanent home in a South London park by metal thieves. It stood in Dulwich Park since 1970. This bronze sculpture was targeted for its scrapage value. Experts suggest that is it were to be melted down for scrap it would only be worth £750 whereas the sculpture was valued at £500,000.

Trevor Moore the chair of Dulwich Park Friends said: “it’s just one of those things which is always there as you wander past and you feel like you’ve had a finger chopped off in all honesty.”

The proposal has aroused the fury of, among others, Henry Moore's daughter Mary, the local MP Rushanara Ali, and Danny Boyle, hero of the Olympic opening ceremony. In a le\er to the Observer today, they write that it "goes against the spirit" of Henry Moore, who sold it to London County Council at a price – £6,000 – far below its then market value. It demonstrated the "belief that everyone, whatever their background, should have access to works of art of the highest quality".

I think that the reasons behind selling Old Flo are wholly effecTve and I can understand why Tower Hamlet want to sell it in this current financial climate, considering that the sculpture isn't even in its original place. There is no original link to the estate where it was originally placed, seeing as there are no certain ownership over the sculpture anymore and the sculpture is not kept there. I would not like to see the sculpture destroyed or mistreated but selling it to another area on the UK would not be a bad decision. Councillor Shahed Ali, one of Rahman's cabinet members, told the BBC that "we'd love to keep it in the borough", but it is "uninsurable", at a Tme when large bronzes like this are someTmes stolen for their scrap value. This is also a criTcal factor, the area in which it should be kept has a high crime rate and we can see from incidents such as Hepworths sculpture being stolen that sculptures like this are of high risk and the appropriate council feel they cannot protect it. Therefore selling it off in an aucTon would be for the best of the future of the sculpture.

Equestrian statues are very expensive and complex to make. They require a vast amount of materials (which is usually bronze) using bronze to make sculptures means using the lost wax process. Using bronze is preferred in equestrian sculpture as it increases the status of the horse and the si\er on the horse. The bronze gives a solid and imposing feel and glorifies the subject.

Equestrian sculptures were widely used and appreciated in the ancient Greek world but were mostly lost and not used again unTl the Renaissance period in Florence. In between these Tmes there were no need to use horses in sculpture because arTsts only really depicted personal portraits and religious subject ma\ers and horses don’t really appear in religious stories.

The lost wax process can take up to 20-­‐30 days and can be broken down into 100 different steps if being technical and can only be performed by a trained technician.

Here we can see some of the earliest examples of equestrian statues. It is an ancient Greek sculpture of a horse from around 150BC. We can see the horses features are very archaic and there are limited projecTons and we can see that the whole horse has no survived to this dead.

Above we can see the West frieze on the Parthenon showing a horse rubbing its head this from around the Tme of 442-­‐438 BC. We can take note of the similar archaic and simplisTc form.

Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius AD 164-­‐66, this gilded bronze equestrian sculpture is now the only complete bronze statue from its kind to survive to this day despite travelling from anTquity and one of few to survive through medieval Tmes. Most statues of this type were melted down for the value of bronze.

It was originally thought to have been a sculpture of ConstanTne, if this were the case it most definitely would have been melted down (ConstanTne was not seen as the heroic figure he wished he was) It was not unTl the middle ages when they compared the figures head to that of Marcus Aurelius that they realised it had been misidenTfied. Marcus Aurelius here is seen in the height of his powers heroically riding his horse. He could have been portrayed as a persecutor of the ChrisTans which is how we remember him today but instead he has been shown as merciful. This is using art as a poliTcal tool and poliTcal propaganda. Ancient leaders were aware of the power of art to promote their poliTcal agendas publicly, as well as to celebrate their reign and their accomplishments. Public monuments and commemoraTve reliefs were used by leaders to portray their power

The Orsanmichele, Florence is a guild church built 1337-­‐1380. The building conforms to a square and subsequently can be viewed at any side of the building, allowing for full decoraTon. Late in the 14th century the guilds involved commissioned statues of their patron saints to go into the niches around the building. Only major guilds were allowed to use bronze for their statues. Between the years 1380-­‐1404 it was converted as the chapel for Florence’s powerful craN and trade guilds. The guilds were in compeTTon to have the greatest arTst sculpture their patron saint. ParTcularly famous are GhiberT’s St John the BapTst 1414-­‐1416 and Donatello’s St. George 1416.

GhiberT, St John the BapTst, 1412-­‐1416, Bronze. This sculpture features on the side of the Orsanmichele in Florence. This sculpture was cast in one piece and created for the Cloth Merchants Guild-­‐the sculpture was to be so difficult to execute that the guild sTpulated it be undertaken at the sculptors own risk. It appears to sTll have InternaTonal Gothic features such as the stylised drapery that seem to hide the form beneath, and even a stylised beard and face.

Although St John appears to be of InternaTonal Gothic style yet his scroll is inscribed with humanist script.

Donatello’s St. George 1414 stands at 214cm tall. In 1414 the Arte dei Corazzai (guild of armourers) ordered from Donatello a marble satue for the façade of Orsanmichele of their patron saint, St George. The staue if balanced expenctantly on the balls of his feet with a determined clenched right-­‐hand fist that has a hole-­‐this tells us that the knight once held a weapon (most likely a symbolic gilt metal sword.) Donatello was only young when he produced this excellent sculpture Vasari said about him “Life itself seems to be sTrring vigorously within the stone”. The base of the niche, with the bas-­‐relief represenTng the saint’s narraTve with the dragon for the freeing of the Princess of Cappadocia, also assumes a role of great importance due to the arTsts use of the technique know as rilievo sTacciato, or fla\ened relief.

In the late 1410’s and early 1420’s Donatello devised a method of carving-­‐almost drawing-­‐a scene in very shallow relief, the technique is known as rilieva schiacciato. Within a depth of about 10-­‐20mm the sculptor conveyed as much greater imaginary depth by means of only very slight indentaTons on the surface of the marble. We see this is St George and the Dragon 1417, formerly on the lintel beneath the statue of St George at Orsanmichele. Linear perspecTve was also used to imply depth in the blind arcade at the right.

Donatello, Equestrian statue of the Condo^erre Ga\amelata, 1446-­‐1450, Pauda. Ga\amelata “The Honeyed Cat” was a captain and a good friend to the famous banker Cosimo de’Medici. He was a condo^eri which means he was a paid solider. Here Donatello has altered the formula that began with the FlorenTne interpretaTons such as by Ucello and as they wore modern costumes. The bare headed Ga\alemata here has no helmet-­‐this recalls on Marcus Aurelius.

Donatello has transformed him into a triumphant Cesar. He has been given an idealised face to represent his victories-­‐ we can see this in his prominent facial features such as his kni\ed brow, tensed mouth and chin. The emphasis here is on the soldiers intelligence and inner nature rather than his physical appearance. It looks as though this condo^ere seems immortalised in the point of thinking up a crucial strategy.

This is a basic step-­‐by-­‐step lost wax process • • • • •

• • • • • • • •

STEP 1 Making the Mold: This step is by far the most criTcal. All the detail which appears on the sculpture must be captured in the mold. The mold (depending on the size of the sculpture) is cut into secTons for casTng. STEP 2 Making the Wax Cas?ng: Molten wax is poured into the mold to form layers of wax. This wax model is an exact duplicate of the original casTng. STEP 3 Chasing the Wax: The wax is pulled from the mold and hand chased (re-­‐detailed) by a skilled arTsan. Although the arTst reproduces the original artwork, each piece may slightly differ from the next.

STEP 4 Spruing: Wax rods (gates) and pouring cup are a\ached to the wax casTng in just the right posiTons. This will assure a full pour.

STEP 5 Cas?ng the Ceramic Mold (Investment Cas?ng): In a temperature controlled climate of 72 degrees Fahrenheit, the wax casTng is dipped into Investment liquid several Tmes. On the first dip a fine powder is applied. On the next dip of course, ceramic sand will be applied. This step is repeated several Tmes, each increasing the coarseness of the material to create the ceramic mold. Between each dip, the ceramic layer must cure (dry) before another layer can be applied.

STEP 6 Burn-­‐Out: The ceramic shell is placed in a kiln and fired. The shell bakes and the wax is melted (lost) from the shell. This creates a hollow ceramic shell mold. Thus the term “Lost Wax.” STEP 7 Cas?ng: The ceramic shell (mold) is removed from the kiln and immediately the molten bronze is poured into the shell. At the Tme of pouring, the bronze is 2100 degrees Fahrenheit.

STEP 8 Break-­‐Out: ANer the casTng has cooled several hours, the shell is carefully broken away leaving the unfinished bronze.

STEP 9 Sandblas?ng: Any fragments of the ceramic shell are removed by sandblasTng. The sculpture is also carefully inspected at this point.

STEP 10 Assembly: At this Tme all the pieces of the sculpture are welded together by our skilled craNsman.

STEP 11 Chasing: All the weld marks are chased and re-­‐detailed.

STEP 12 Glass Beading: This is similar to sandblasTng. The glass is extremely fine to ensure an even bronze finish.

STEP 13 Polish: The raw bronze sculpture is now hand polished in preparaTon for the paTna.

The Arc de Triomphe begun construcTon in 1806 and stopped in 1814-­‐1815 aNer the downfall of Napoleon aNer the ba\le of waterloo.

It was later completed in 1833-­‐36 aNer King Louis Phillipe came to power and started the build again.

The commission was given in 1806 by Emperor Napoleon, however, Napoleon never saw it finished. The architect was Jean-­‐Francois-­‐Therese Chalgrin was given the task of finding the best possible locaTon to house an arch to show triumph and victory, therefore he studied several different opTons but in the May of 1806 Napoleon agreed on the site. On August 15th 1806 the first brick was laid to coincide with Napoleons birthday. There are 4 monumental sculptures around the outside of the construcTon.

We can see that the iniTal idea and design of the Arch de Triomphe was based on ancient Roman victory arches such as the above. This is the arch of ConstanTne in Rome, 312-­‐315 ad and is made of marble. This arch is slightly wider and boasts 2 smaller arches and the main bigger arch in the middle. There are many relief sculptures around the construcTon which show scenes of ba\les and the victories of ConstanTne. This arch is aimed specifically at 1 individual

In 1852 Napoleon III came into power in France.

By 1853 he, alongside Baron Haussmann, has started the alteraTon of Paris called HaussmannisaTon. This was when Paris was almost completely destroyed and rebuilt in an a\empt to create a perfect Paris. This was known as a “massive urban transformaTon of Paris” (Hayward S,2000, as cited by Ager D. E., 2000) Napoleon wanted a cleaner Paris and made wider alleys and roads to make it harder for people to rebel and have revoluTons by making it near impossible to barricade the streets. Another objecTve for Napoleon III was that Paris should become a commercial city and he wanted people to admire the centre of such a socially developed city. He also wanted to create a centrepiece of this magnificent city and he did this in the representaTon of The Paris Opera House. The map to the leN shows how Haussmann’s plans for the city created an efficient network of wide, interconnecTng boulevards. During the rebuilding, he created 50 kilometres (31 miles) of new boulevards, laid out vast areas of parks and squares. In the two decades that France was under the reign of Napoleon III the populaTon of Paris doubled.

The Paris Opera House, 1862-­‐1875, Charles Garnier was built as to be the “main a\racTon”/main hub of Paris in which every socialite and high class Parisian would be found. However, Emperor Napoleon never saw the Opera House finished aNer his death in 1873. ConstrucTon also struggled in 1870 due to Napoleon declaring war on Prussia, this is known in history as the Franco Prussian War. During this Tme Napoleon was taken as a prisoner of war and Paris suffered a siege that lasted 4 months, this had a massive impact on the art and culture of the Tme.

Charles Garnier studied at the Ecole des Beaux-­‐Arts school and later won the Grand Prix (Grand Price) which enabled him to travel to Rome. Whilst he was in Rome he studied classical architecture and travelled to Athens and visited the Temple of Aphaia. This inspired Garnier to uTlise new materials for support yet maintain a paramount level of style and décor. Garnier also saw the use of columns to support the structure and this influence the design in the auditorium of the Opera House. Within the auditorium there are 12 cast iron columns. However, the columns are concealed by classical marble due to the uTlitarian look of iron. As we can see the columns used are Corinthian capitals-­‐this adds to the decoraTve and grandeur element of this build.

Prior to the introducTon of bulk iron, architecture relied on compressive strength to hold buildings up. Great structures were essenTally orderly and decorated piles of stone. Architects were accustomed to thinking of certain ways of creaTng structure, the first uses of structural iron by architects were made using the old ideas. Iron was firstly reserved for uTlitarian uses such as factories bridges. People did not trust iron as a reliable source yet, however in 1713, Abraham Derby pioneered cast iron smelTng for commercial use in Coalbrookdale. Neo classical and romanTc a^tudes made architects and their cliental look backwards to past examples when building had always been of load bearing masonry. Stone was most commonly used and was always favored by architects and their clients. Therefore the architects were slow to exploit the possibiliTes of iron and steel which was first used only in industrial uTlitarian buildings such as texTle mills, warehouses and greenhouses.

Stage just visible behind

Charles Garnier: ‘The Paris Opera House’, 1862-­‐75 Auditorium with green dome

Rectangular block = vesTbule/ front recepTon/ foyer Grand entrance for the Emperor

Grand entrance for the aristocracy

Here we can see that each internal part is clearly expressed on the exterior, with a disTncTve shape and it’s own roof. This added to the opulence and grandeur of this magnificent building.

Here is the façade of the opera house, with labels to each individual sculpture, with the sculptor above the Ttle.

The façade of the building boasts a grandeur and exuberance you can only experience by a building from this era. We can see a clear and harmonious balance in the building (despite the later addiTon of the third stepped layer of brick) there are 3 bays in which the 2 sides protrude. The bronze ‘crown’ sits gloriously on the middle bay. We can see the heavily applied decoraTon covering nearly every inch of the building. Fourteen painters, mosaicists and seventy-­‐three sculptors parTcipaTon in the creaTon of its ornamentaTon. The two gilded figural groups, Charles Gumery’s L’Harmonie (Harmony) and La Poesie (Poetry) crown the apexes of the façade on the leN and right hand side. They are both made of gilt copper electrotype.

As a center piece the Paris Opera House works, it draws a\enTon and inTmidates the viewer, therefore I think Haussmann and Napoleon have achieved the ulTmate center piece that they were looking for.

Raking Cornice Cornice

Frieze Metope/sculptures

In 1963 Marc Chagall was commissioned to paint the new ceiling for the Paris Opera House. Andre Malraux (France’s Minister of Culture) wanted something unique and decided Chagall would be the ideal arTst. However this choice of arTst came with some controversy-­‐some people objected having a Russian Jew decorate a French naTonal monument and others did not agree with a historic building being painted by a modern arTst. However, Chagall conTnued with the project at the age of 77 and it took him over a year to complete. The final piece is nearly 2,400 square feet and required 440 pounds of paint. The canvas boasts tributes to composers Mozart, Wagner, Mussorgsky, Berlioz and Ravel as well as famous actors and dancers.

One of the sculptures on the right hand side, is La Danse, Carpeaux, 1867-­‐9. It is marble and stands at 14N high. It shows a group of youths dancing and singing. They are all nude and are joyfully dancing and being merry. There are few obvious a\ributes to who and why these people appear on the side of such a presTgious and classic building. At the Tme of it being releaved it was much a\acked for its immodesty, realism and modernity. In fact like his earlier works such as Ugolino and his sons, it was heavily influenced by High Renaissance and Baroque art. They were going to replace the sculpture however the replacement was stopped by the declaraTon of the Franco Prussian war.

Georges Lafenestre “La Danse is a bacchanale, the most violent unbridled, impetuous bacchanale ever to have sha\ered a voluptuous night of an anTque summer.” He then went on to say “look at those Tred sagging legs, look at those flaccid and deformed torsos and admit it, we are in the midst of the 19th century, in the midst of diseased and undressed Paris, in the midst of realism.” On August 27 1869 a bo\le of ink was hurled at it staining the leN front of the work.

Auguste Rodin is now known as the father of modern sculpture. He lived between 1840-­‐1917 and lived in France. Rodin was generally known as a progenitor of modern sculpture. He was radical and new at the Tme however, this was an apparent accident as he did not set out to rebel against the past and more academic ways of sculpTng. Rodin looked more at the inner feelings and thoughts of a person rather than there physical a\ributes. He leaves behind noTons of idealised beauty. This was oNen frowned upon during the life of Rodin. Rodin oNen refused admission to the Ecole des Beaux Arts, instead he followed the craNsman’s training that he had been bought up on. He oNen exposed the joint lines of the piece of moulds in which they were cast, as well the “unfinished” marks of modelling and ediTng. Rodin typically made “spare parts” such as feet, hands, heads, knees and so on-­‐and put together his characters from these. Once a figure had been made he would oNen remake it, by re-­‐ casTng mulTple versions and variants unTl he had produced a perfect figure.

Rodin’s work is oNen characterised by expressive figures not present yet in contemporary academic work (hence being classed as a pioneer) His sculpTng process is considered loose and free; with expressive fluid poses, and extended limbs. The emphaTc gestures on the sculptures is what Rodin is renowned for in the art world toady. The process methods increased the animaTon of the surfaces by displaying rippling/light catching surfaces.

Sir Christopher Wren is one of the most highly acclaimed BriTsh architects living during 1632-­‐1723 and subsequently lived and worked during the Great Fire of London (1666) He rebuilt the 52 churches that had been burned down during the Great Fire including his personal masterpiece St. Pauls Cathedral completed in 1710. Wren oNen unoffically visited London to check on the progress of the Cathedral.

On February 25 1723 his servant found him dead. He was laid to rest and his remains were placed in the south-­‐east corner of the crypt of St. Pauls. Wren’s eldest son wrote an inscripTon for his crypt which translates (from LaTn) to: “Here in its foundaEons lies the architect of this church and city, Christopher Wren, who lived beyond ninety years, not for his own profit but for the public good. Reader, if you seek his monument – look around you. Died 25 Feb. 1723, age 90.”

The Monument stands at juncTon of Monument Street and Fish Street Hill in London and was built between 1671 and 1677. As part of the rebuild aNer the Great Fire of London it was decided that a permanent memorial would be appropriate near Pudding Lane where the fire began. Dr Robert Hooke provided a design for a colossal Doric column. They then drew up plans for a column containing a canTlevered stone staircase of 311 steps leading to a viewing plasorm. At the apex of the column there is a drum and a copper urn from which flames emerged, symbolising the Great Fire.

Due to Wren being a keen astronomer the Monument was also built as a zeninth telescope-­‐one that looks straight ip.

Hooke had hoped by studying the acTvity of one fixed star that he could gain evidence to support his theory that the Earth moved round the sun.

The Monument is a colossal Doric column in the classical tradiTonal.

This was topped with a drum and a copper urn from which flames emerge-­‐ this symbolising the great fire as we can see here.

The Monument contains a canTlevering stone staircase of 311 steps leading to a viewing plasorm.

The Monument as it came to be called stands at 61 metres high which is the exact distance between the monument and the site in Pudding Lane where the fire began.

On the 2nd September 1666 London suffered the worst fire in BriTsh history. The fire was started in a bakers shop in Pudding Lane in the early hours of the morning. The assistant maid leN the oven door open and the fire sparked. Unfortuantley it had been a hot, dry summer and the houses were made mainly using draw and Tmber, therefore the fire took well and the lack of fire fighTng services at the Tme meant that the londonders at the Tme struggled to maintain the fire.

The fire luckily however did not kill anybody. ANer 3 long days and nights on the 5th September around 13,000 buildings had been destroyed including the original St. Paul’s Cathedral. Its esTmated around 65,000-­‐80,000 people lost their homes.

We have here an extract from the Diary of Samuel Pepys;

Sunday, September 2, 1666.

"About two a clock this morning a sudden and lamentable fire brake out in the city, beginning not far from Thames Street, near London Bridge, which conTnues sTll with great violence and hath already burnt down to the ground many houses thereabouts; which sad accident affected His Majesty with that tenderness and compassion, that he was pleased to go himself in person, with his Royal Highness, to give order that all possible means should be used for quenching the fire, or stopping its further spreading. In which case, the Right Honourable the Earl of Craven was sent by His Majesty, to be more parTcularly assisTng to the Lord Mayor and magistrates; and several companies of his guards sent into the City to be helpful by what ways they could in so great calamity."

Shortly aNer the disaster of the fire the King realised that he had to intervene to rebuild London and therefore he created a commi\ee of six men known as the ‘Commissioners for rebuilding the new London’ Their role was to manage surveys of ruined properTes and consider the form and scale of new builds.

Wren was one of the six men allocated and he had ideas and visions-­‐similar to Baron Haussmann during HaussmannisaTon-­‐ too build wider roads and make the city less cramped incase of any fires in the future. Therefore the commi\ee also made alteraTons to the streets. Due to the fear of fire, King Charles II also said that all building had to be erected using mainly brick and stone instead of the highly flammable Tmber and straw.

Wren was the most prolific architect within the commi\ee. In totalt he designed and supervised the construcTon of 52 churchs including St Pauls Cathedrals which took 35 years to complete.

We can see clear influences in the Monument from Trajan’s Column 113AD in Rome. Wren would of visited Trajan’s Column when he visited Rome. Trajan’s Column boasts 200 meters of decoraTon around the outside.

Trajan’s column depicts two ba\les the Roman Emperor Trajan had with the Dacians. The Dacian people were a tribe from what we know now as Romania.

The column celebrates the Emperors succession and power in these ba\les.

There are 155 scenes of the ba\les running the whole way up the column in much someTmes graphic detail. There are 2639 figures, in which Trajan appears 59 Tmes. We have never seen anything like this before in the history of art so it was new and modern in its Tme.

Here is a cast of Trajan’s column that is in the V and A Museum in London.

The column is spilt into 2 halves as it would be impossible to house otherwise. When I viewed this monumental column I was shocked by how tall it would stand together, it really shows the power and strength of the Roman empire. The detail spiraling round the column is phenomenal and tells a story that you can easily follow. You can see the impressive level of undercu^ng used around the column here.

• North Panel-­‐this is the inscrip?on….

In the year of Christ 1666, on the 2nd September, at a distance eastward from this place of 202 feet, which is the height of this column, a fire broke out in the dead of night, which, the wind blowing devoured even distant buildings, and rushed devastaTng through every quarter with astonishing swiNness and noise. It consumed 89 churches, gates, the Guildhall, public edifices, hospitals, schools, libraries, a great number of blocks of buildings, 13,200 houses, 400 streets…

•

South Panel-­‐the inscrip?on reads Charles the Second, son of Charles the Martyr, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, defender of the faith, a most gracious prince, commiseraTng the deplorable state of things, whilst the ruins were yet smoking provided for the comfort of his ciTzens, and the ornament of his city; remi\ed their taxes, and referred the peTTons of the magistrates and inhabitants of London to the Parliament…

• East Panel reads-­‐ This pillar was begun, Sir Richard Ford, knt., being Lord Mayor of London, in the year 1671; carried higher in the MayoralTes of Sir George Waterman, knt., Sir Robert Hanson, knt., Sir William Hooker, knt., Sir Robert Viner, knt., and Sir Joseph Sheldon, knt.; and finished in the Mayoralty of Sir Thomas Davies, in the year of the Lord 1677.

On the west wing lays this relief sculpture. Caius Gabriel Cibber executed the sculpture on the west panel, and the four dragons at the base were the work of Edward Pierce Junior. This basso-­‐relievo by Cibber represents the King on the right hand (in highest relief.) The king is affording protecTon to the desolate and burned London City and, freedom to its rebuilders and inhabitants.

The design is allegorical and displays a female figure. She represents the City of London.

She is si^ng in ruins in a languishing condiTon, her head is hanging down and she looks ashamed. We can see her clothes are dishevelled and her leN hand hand is leN carelessly lead upon her sword. Stood behind her is Tme, we can recognise him with his wings and bald head.

The first world war began on 28 July 1914 and lasted 4 years unTl 11 November 1918.

More than 9 million combatants and 7 million civilians died as a result of the war. It became one of the deadliest conflicts in history paving the way for major poliTcal changes including revoluTons in many areas of the world. Due to many allie agreements all the major power countries in the world were drew in this included (United Kingdom, France, the Russian empire, Germany, Austria and the United States.) Although many factors pushed the world into conflict the immediate trigger was the assassinaTon of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (the heir to the throne of Austria-­‐Hungary.)

The end came to an end in 1919. The treaty of Versailles was signed with Germany on 28 June 1919. The treaty agreed to end the war and Germany had to then make several repayments and agreements in order to keep the peace.

Francis Derwent Wood, The Machine Gun Corps Memorial, 1925, also known as the Boy David. This sculpture stands at the corner of Hyde Park in London-­‐where a large number of soldiers were enlisted. The first world war July 1914-­‐November 1918 most of which took place in other European countries such as France and Belgium. There were so many bodies that most of the fallen soldiers could not of been bought home. Therefore there was a series of memorials made because it was important for the English people to remember their soldiers-­‐many of whom would have been friends and relaTves. This sculpture specifically commemorates the machine gun corps.

The sculpture incorporates two real machine guns-­‐either side of David-­‐ wrapped in Laurel wreaths. Using the guns shows modernity and the Laurel wreaths shows peace and they are silencing the guns.

The sculpture was first seen in Grosvenor Place in London but was dismantled shortly aNer it was first seen due to work roads disrupTng the sculptures stance. It was rededicated in its present locaTon in Hyde Park in 1963. When it was first seen people thought it was inappropriate. I think that this was because the people who were viewing it and using it to commemorate would have been ordinary house wives and even young soldiers and they would not have been highly educated and may not have appreciated the story behind David and what he represented. David represents a small brave boy that defeated the powerful giant using only his bravery and faith.

This is symbolic of the soldiers and being such a small country fighTng bigger countries.

As we can see there are many similariTes between the David on the Machine Gun Corps by Derwent Wood in 1925 and Donatello’s David from 1440. We can see they stand in the same posiTon just in reverse. They both stand with one arm on their hip and the other extended holding a sword. They are both bronze and have a shiny polished paTna. The one major difference is that Derwent Woods David doesn't’t stand on goliaths head like Donatello’s as that is not enTrely relevant to the soldiers memorial.

Charles Jagger, The Royal ArTllery Monument, 1925. This sculpture was very controversial due to the somberness and realisTc representaTon. The main body is a machine gun made of local portland stone. There are four un-­‐ idealised figures stood around the monument. Jagger was in WW1 so had first hand experience and illustrated (maybe be\er than other sculptors) the horrors of war. All the soldiers are wearing real army uniform, some oversized and ill fi^ng, just as the real soldiers would have worn. A sense of weight is created by the ghostly white opaque stone that contrasts with the bronze figures. The gun that stands on top of the monument is a Howitzer gun; this gun was made in Swindon at the rail works. The barrel of the gun is facing towards the Somme in France, where many of the soldiers died.

One of the figures look as though he is represenTng crucifixion, this symbolises sacrificing yourself for your people, this was how many soldiers were depicted.

This is most controversial figure. It shows a fallen solider, who has lost this life. Jagger was criTcsed for this, as this was not how the family, friends and public wanted to remember their soldiers, however, this was an everyday site for Jagger in the war and he wanted to show this to the public.

Charles Sargeant Jagger, Great Western Railway War Memorial, Bronze 1922. This sculpture stands in Paddington StaTon, London. This commemorates the employees of the Great Western Railway who gave their lives during the WW1.

Charles Jagger fought in the war and knew first hand the struggles and the need to remember.

This sculpture stands on a stone base. On the stone surrounded are two releifs of the emblems of the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. There is a sealed casket inside the plinth, which was made at the Great Western Railways Swindon works and this plinth contains vellum with the names of the 2,524 people who gave their lives during the war. The Howitzer Gun was also produced in Swindon. Vellum is derived from the LaTn word “vitulinum” meaning “made from calf” Therefore a vellum refers to a parchment made from calf skin.

We can see that the sculpture represents a solider on the front line reading a le\er from home. We know this because of the clothing he’s wearing-­‐it is not tradiTonal solider uniform however we can see that is may be what a solider wore. Jagger has used bronze for this representaTon due to the ability to depict details. It would of also increased the status of this solider depicted as bronze has classical and allegorical references and in the history of art-­‐ bronze was oNen used to depict heroes and heroines.

The solider is stood sTll and in a very strong pose.

His clothes and coat produce a triangle and gives us the feeling of a pyramidal composiTon and the soldiers head would be at the apex of the pyramid.

This again is a strong classical reference as we can see this in play in Delacroix’s liberty leading the people, where freedom and rebellion takes the most important role here. The sculpture is partly engaged at the back against the wall and therefore should be viewed from the front and not in the round-­‐this is relevant because you get it straight away and you don’t need to walk around and take it in, you can just look and you understand what is happening.

Sir Edwin Lutyens created this Cenotaph in 1920, constructed using Portland stone. Cenotaph translates as empty tomb. This was originally commissioned by David Lloyd George as a place to remember all the soliders who werent idenTfied or who were not bought back aNer the war. There is limited applied decoraTon other than a carved wreath on each end and the words “The Glorious Dead.” These words were choosen

by Rudyard Kipling. It commemorates specifically the vicTms of the First World War but is used to commemorate all of the dead in all wars in which BriTsh servicemen have fought. The dates of the First World War and the Second World War are inscribed on it in Roman numerals.

Paul Cummins and Tom Piper, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London, 2014. This is an installaTon at the Tower of London.

There have been 888,246 ceramic poppies have been ‘planted’ on Tower of London moat. The installaTon began on the 5th August-­‐11th November. Each poppy represents a BriTsh military fatality during the war.

The poppies engulf the iconic landmark creaTng not only a spectacular display visible from all around the Tower but also a locaTon for personal reflecTon. The scale of the installaTon intends to reflect the magnitude of the war and give a powerful visual commemoraTon. Each day in the moat at sunset, names of 180 commonwealth troops killed during the war will be read out as part of a Roll of Honour, followed by the Last Post.

Martyrs Memorial is a memorial in Oxford city center. The structure was designed by GG Sco\ and the sculptures by Henry Weekes. It was made in 1841. This memorial commemorates 3 martyrs. A martyr is someone who dies for what they believe in. In 1533 when the Roman Catholic Queen Mary came to the throne, Thomas Crammer (Archbishop of Canterbury) Nicholas Ridley (Archbishop of London) and Hugh LaTmer (Bishop of Worcester) were summoned to appear before a commission in the the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford to be examined for their alleged protestant beliefs.

Unable to admit belief in transubstantaTon they were all found guilty of heresy. Ridley and LaTmer were burnt at the stake on 16.

October 1555 in a ditch outside the Oxford city wall. Archbishop Cranmer who had been given a longer to appeal was forced to watch and recanted his original statement. However, this did not work and Cranmer was later taken to the same ditch and killed on 21. March 1556 in the same way as Ridley and LaTmer.

Thomas Cramner

Nicholas Ridley

Hugh LaTmer

John Keble, 1792-­‐1866

Christ Church Oxford, 1160-­‐1200

In 1833 John Keble delivered a speech in Oxford describing the state of the Church of England. Some thinkers could see this movement about bringing a return to the Catholic faith and rituals into the Church of England, which remember had links to the Protestant faith. In England the Church of England was undergoing a revival of Anglo-­‐Catholic ideology in the form of the Oxford Movement and it became desirable to build large numbers of new churches to cater for the growing populaTon and cemeteries for their hygienic burials.

Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder (1773-­‐1798, Berlin) was a writer on art, especially early German Art and assisted in the development of German RomanTcism. He wanted museums to become a place of compilaTon and order, instead of the “fair” atmosphere that they oNen became.

“A picture gallery appears to be thought of as a fair, whereas what it should be is a temple, where in silent unspeaking humility and inspiring solitude, one may admire arEsts as the highest among mortals.”

We now understand that these ideals are eliTst are less about spectacle and entertainment.

For example; The NaTonal Gallery in London can be linked with Wackenroder’s ideals-­‐as in its quiet and ordered whereas the Tate Modern in London is very interacTve and sTmulated.

Tate Modern, London

NaTonal Gallery, London

In society today many barriers have been broken down between a cultural elite and the general public and the museum experience has become less inTmidaTng thanks to the building themselves changing and looking less insTtuTonalised. Although museums do play a vital role in educaTon and are sTll viewed as a formalised educaTonal tool they are now being seen as places of lesiure and entertainment.

Museums also provide a source of tourism and are almost a branch of the entertainment industry. This means that they can bring in an income for the community. In Tmes of diminishing funding, shops and restaurants offer a much needed addiTonal income and can also provide more jobs to the local community.

The way in which we view the art has also changed. We can now use technology within the museum to enable more complex and interacTve displays to take place. The use of technology can help engage a younger generaTon and make the subjects more current.

The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is the best known ‘Cabinet of Curiosity’ in England. It was established by John Tradescant the elder and his son John Tradescant the younger. Theirs was both a natural and arTficial cabinet. In 1656 Tradescent the younger and Elias Ashmole complied a printed catalogue of the Tradescant rariTes-­‐this was the first formal catalogue of this kind. In 1662 Tradescant the younger leN Ashmole his Cabinet of CuriosiTes and in 1765 Ashmole began negoTtaTons with the University of Oxford about donaTng his collecTons. The museum as we know it today was opened on May 21 1683.

The Ashmolean Museum was first housed in the Old Ashmolean Building (designed by Thomas Wood) consisTng of a fireproof chemical laboratory in the basement, a lecture thearte at ground level and a room for rariTes on the first floor. The Ashmolean Museum was one of the first private collecTons permanently made public, although the University’s dons and student remained its primary visitors.

Ashmole’s collecTon consisted of an extraordinary variety of artefacts including: NaTve American Indian clothes, Buddhas rare shells and stuffed birds, ivories, manuscripts, pictures of the Tradescants and their circle, a hawking glove of Henry VII and anTque medallions. All the items were displayed in a single room. Although the collecTon contained precious things, works of art were not a collecTng priority. In the mid-­‐19th century the university decided to establish a Natural Science Museum and all the natural history specimens form the Ashmolean were moved and much of its original content was lost.

The increasing size of the collecTon required larger premises built in Neo Classical style on Beaumont Street by Charles Cockrell and opened in 1845. From 1850 onwards benefactors such as T.H. Fox-­‐Strangeways, donated the forty painTngs which are the core of the Ashmoleans painTng collecTon. The museum recently underwent a £61m rebuild designed by Rick Mather and funded by the naTonal lo\ery fund. The new arrangement makes cross-­‐cultural connecTons easier and the Asian collecTon will run along side the classical collecTon on the ground floor.