Hi there my Steemit friends and followers!
I have already shared some photos of interesting statues and sculptures with you here on Steemit but I just realized that I actually have so many of them that I could easily make a whole post dedicated to just this specific kind of photos. And this is what I want to present to you today :)
You are about to see 30 photos of statues and sculptures that I have taken at many different places and countries. Some of the photos even date back to many years ago when I did not have the slightest idea of what photography is about and I used super crappy cellphone cameras so please excuse the miserable quality of some of the shots. I also added some background info about all the statues and sculptures featured in this post so that you can learn some little trivia today too.
From opulent monuments dedicated to some of the most important figures of human history to stunning and sometimes even creepy artworks by modern sculptors, let me show you my ultimate photo collection of statues and sculptures from around the world.
The Redeemer, Marsalforn, Gozo Island, Malta
Located on the top of the Tal Merzug Hill above the tiny coastal town of Marsalforn on the Maltese island of Gozo, this statue was created in 1904 and it has been one of the most famous landmarks of the town ever since. Strikingly resembling the iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, the Maltese statue is actually five times smaller, reaching "just" 6 m (19.7 ft) in height.
Adam and Eve, Monte Carlo, Monaco
This unusual portrayal of Adam and Eve can be found on the main seaside promenade in Monte Carlo, the administrative center of Monaco. It was created by the renowned Colombian artist Fernando Botero in 1981.
The Rocky Statue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
One of the most popular tourist attractions of Philly, the Rocky Statue was created by the renowned American sculptor A. T. Schomberg in 1980 to be featured in the Rocky III movie. After the movie was filmed, Sylvester Stallone donated this iconic bronze sculpture to the city. It is now placed right next to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, another iconic feature of the movie known for the Rocky Steps.
The St. John the Baptist Statue, Prague, Czech Republic
The Charles Bridge, one of the most famous, visited and photographed architectural landmarks of Prague, is decorated with 30 beautiful statues and sculptures depicting important figures of Czech and world history. This is dedicated to St. John the Baptist, a famous Jewish preacher who lived in the late 1st century BC and early 1st century AD and who is, by many historians, believed to have baptized Jesus.
The Calixto Garcia Statue, Havana, Cuba
Situated in the Havana´s district of Vedado, this majestic statue depicts Calixto Garcia riding a horse. Garcia was a prominent Cuban general and military leader who served in three different Cuban uprisings. His portrait is also on the 50 Cuban pesos banknote.
Cumil the Sewer Worker, Bratislava, Slovakia
Found in the historic center of Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia, this bronze sculpture of a sewer worker peeping out of a manhole is one of the most popular tourist attractions of the city. There is a whole bunch of names this bizarre sculpture is referred to as, including the Peeper, the Gazer, the Man at Work, the Watcher, the Peeping Tom etc. but the locals usually call him “Cumil”.
The Abraham Lincoln Statue, Washington D.C., USA
This gigantic figure of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America, is located within the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Created by D. Ch. French, this statue rises 9.1 m (30 ft) from the ground and it weighs in staggering 170 tons. It was sculpted out of white marble.
The Babies, Prague, Czech Republic
The Czech capital is known for many bizarre sculptures, including these giant creepy babies. Created by the famous Czech artist David Cerny, they can be found at two locations in Prague - most of them are installed on the Zizkov Lookout Tower and three more are situated right next to the Kampa Museum in the historic center of the city. Just as if having these giant (3.5 m / 11.5 ft long and 2.6 m / 8.5 ft tall) bronze babies "crawling" on the ground was not creepy enough, the author of this bizarre artwork decided to replace the babies´ faces with bar codes.
The Apollo Statue, Nice, France
This 7-ton marble statue of Apollo is the most dominant landmark of the famous Massena Square in the center of Nice, France. Soon after the statue was unveiled in 1956, massive controversy flared up about its masculine attributes being, so to speak, too big and embellished. A few years later, the author of this artwork, Alfred Janniot, had to be called back to make "some" adjustment to it.
The Bandit, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
This cool bronze sculpture of the archetypal badass Mexican bandit chilling on a bench is located on the Fifth Avenue (La Quinta Avenida) in the center of Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico. It is believed the origin of this stereotypical Mexican figure with a huge sombrero, thick mustache and crisscrossed bandoliers is derived from Pancho Villa, an army commander and one of the most important figures of the Mexican Revolution.
The Teammates, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Dedicated to four legendary players of the Boston Red Sox (Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky), this statue can be found in front of the Gate B at the Red Sox stadium. This great sport statue was unveiled in June 2010 (just a few weeks before I took this shot).
The Head of Franz Kafka, Prague, Czech Republic
Another masterpiece by the Czech artist David Cerny, The Head of Franz Kafka is a giant outdoor statue installed in front of the Quadrio Shopping Mall in the center of Prague. The kinetic statue is interactive - it changes its shape as it is made from 42 rotating metal panels.
Unknown Sad Men, Barcelona, Spain
Considering the enormous number of statues and sculptures found both on the outside and inside of the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, it not that surprising that some of them are anonymous and unknown, like - for example - these sad guys. The construction of the iconic masterpiece of the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi started in 1882 and it is still not complete. It might be finished by 2032. Throughout its history, Sagrada Familia has changed its status from church to cathedral and then from cathedral to basilica. Officially, it is now Roman Catholic minor basilica.
The Victor Emmanuel II Statue, Rome, Italy
This magnificent bronze sculpture of Victor Emmanuel II riding a horse is a part of the Altare de la Patria Monument, a large and very opulent monument dedicated to Victor Emmanul II (Vittorio Emanuele II in the Italian language) - the first king of unified Italy.
The Ludwig van Beethoven Statue, Hradec nad Moravici, Czech Republic
This classy bust of one of the world´s greatest composers can be admired at the Hradec nad Moravici Chateau Complex in the Moravian - Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. Why was a Beethoven´s bust installed at a chateau somewhere in the Silesian countryside? The reason is simple - Beethoven loved this chateau and he visited it regularly.
The Ernest Hemingway Statue, Havana, Cuba
The life-size bronze statue of Ernest Hemingway, a great American novelist and journalist, is a popular tourist attraction of the El Floridita Bar in the historic center of Havana. Created by the renowned Cuban artist Jose Villa Soberon, the statue was placed at the novelist´s favorite spot at the end of the bar that he visited very often during his stays in Cuba.
The Praded Statue, Leskovec nad Moravici, Czech Republic
This mysterious patriarch is Praded - the guardian of the Jeseniky Mountains, the second highest mountain range in the Czech Republic. There are many Praded statues in and around the Jeseniky Mountains but this one can be found in a tiny Silesian village called Leskovec nad Moravici, on the shore of the Silesian Harta Dam.
The Homeland Monument, Merida, Mexico
Completed in 1956, this impressive sculpture known as Homeland Monument was created by the Colombian artist Romulo Rozo to pay tribute to the old Mayans who used to live in this part of Mexico. In fact, Merida still has the largest Mayan community of all big Mexican cities - more than a half of its population is of Mayan origin.
The Nicholas Winton, Prague, Czech Republic
Sculpted by the Venezuelan artist Flor Kent, this statue represents Sir Nicholas Winton and two rescued children. Winton was a British humanitarian who organized the rescue of 669 children (mostly Jewish) from Czechoslovakia on the eve of the Second World War. The statue was installed on the first platform of the Prague Central Train Station in September 2009.
The Shaquille O´Neal Statue, Los Angeles , California, USA
Shaq O´Neal, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, was honored to have his own statue in front of the Staples Center, the home arena of L. A. Lakers where Shaq spent the best years of his remarkable basketball career. The statue, depicting Shaq dangling from the rim after one of his epic dunks, is 2.74 m (9 ft) tall - just a bit larger than Shaq himself.
Monumento a San Fransesco, Rome, Italy
Sculpted by Giuseppe Tonnini and erected in 1929 right in front of the Basilica of San Giovani in Laterano, the Statue of St. Francis of Assisi (Monumento a San Fransesco in the Italian language) is a huge bronze sculpture installed on a massive base made from the peperino stone. A catholic friar, deacon and preacher, St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most venerated religious figures in the world.
The Neptune Fountain, Havana, Cuba
Situated on the Malecon Boulevard, the iconic seaside promenade in the center of Havana, the Neptune Fountain is a majestic sculpture depicting Neptune holding his trident. The sculpture was made in Italy and it was transported to Havana where it soon became a popular tourist attraction.
The Leona Vicario Statue, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Installed in front of the Municipal Palace in Playa del Carmen, this nicely elaborated statue is a portrayal of Leona Vicario, a prominent figure of the Mexican War of Independence and one of the first female journalists in the country. She was also the first woman to be depicted on Mexican stamps (together with Josefa O. Dominguez).
The Jesus Statue, Pico del Teide, Tenerife, Spain
With very little info about this interesting statue available on the internet, I can only tell you is it located at the lower station of the Pico del Teide cable car (Teleferico de Teide) that takes tourists to the top of the Mount Teide - the highest mountain of the Canary island of Tenerife as well as all Spain. With a height of 3,718 m (12,198 ft), the mountain offers some breathtaking views.
The Karel Hynek Macha Statue, Prague, Czech Republic
Created by the prominent Czech sculptor J. V. Myslbek in 1912, this remarkable bronze sculpture can be found just below the top of the Petrin Hill in Prague. Karel Hynek Macha was one of the greatest Czech romantic poets and his poem "Maj" (May) is considered one of the most important works of the Czech literature. The statue is often frequented by in-live couples and lovers as it is also regarded as a monument dedicated to love and eternal youth.
Eros Bendato, Krakow, Poland
Colloquially known just as "The Head", Eros Bendato (or Eros Bound) is one of the most recognized works of the Polish artist Igor Mitoraj. Situated on the Main Market Square in the historic center of Krakow, this spooky sculpture is one of the most famous landmarks of the city and a popular tourist attraction. People love to take photos with the head, striking all kinds of poses.
The Jan Zizka Statue, Prague, Czech Republic
A part of the National Monument on the top of the Vitkov Hill in the Prague neighborhood of Zizkov, this statue of Jan Zizka riding a horse boasts the title of the world´s largest bronze equestrian statue. Jan Zizka was a prominent Czech general and the leading figure in the Hussite Movement. He is considered the greatest military leader of the Czech history by many historians.
The Juan Manuel Fangio Statue, La Condamine, Monaco
Situated at Avenue du Port in the Monaco´s ward of La Condamine, this statue depicts Juan Manuel Fangio standing next to his racing car. Nicknamed "The Maestro", Fangio was a famous Argentine racing car driver who won the World Drivers´ Championship five times.
Portal Maya, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Located at Parque de los Fundadores in the center of Playa del Carmen, Mexico, Portal Maya is a beautiful, 16-m (52.2-ft) tall sculpture depicting a man and a woman clasping their hands. Sculpted by Arturo Tavarez, this elegant statue is a tribute to the old Mayans and the most famous landmark of the city.
Unknown Man, Prague, Czech Republic
Although this somewhat creepy statue can be found in the capital city of my own homeland, I was not really able to find out much about it so let me just tell you it is installed on one of the benches on the Wenceslas Square and it is very popular with tourists who love to take photos with this strange dude while sitting next to him.
How about you, my fellow Steemians? Have you seen any of these statues? Do you have some photos of interesting statues and sculptures yourself? Feel free to share them with us in the comment section below, I would love to see them! :)
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