No more iron statues, please
MAY I comment on the very good idea of the athlete on pommel horse (The Hunts Post, March 25). Note athlete rather than man – let s not forget our superb young lady gymnasts. But why does the artist wish to inflict upon us yet another lump of iron to
MAY I comment on the very good idea of the athlete on pommel horse (The Hunts Post, March 25). Note "athlete" rather than "man" - let's not forget our superb young lady gymnasts.
But why does the artist wish to inflict upon us yet another lump of iron to go rusty? We already have the dreadful rusting hulk of the Angel of the North, and the same sculptor's lumpen grey beach-based figures.
There is that rusting, round, spiky thing up north somewhere that bits drop off, frightening the locals. There are those rusting metal plates near Liverpool Street Station.
There is the recently unveiled bronze of the Queen Mother which, although beautifully done, is crying out for someone to take their model-maker's enamel paints to it to brighten it up a bit.
Why is English sculptural art so drab, cheerless, and dull? Even new art such as the lovers at St Pancras or dear old John Betjeman are rendered soulless in their monochrome presentation.
Even the Royal Academy has a lumpen bronze drab dinosaur in its front yard. Why are we not encouraging cheerful, colourful, exciting representations?
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Buenos Aires, I think, has or had a wonderful sculpture of a flower-head, crafted from the most wonderful shiny chrome or stainless steel, with a brilliant golden interior. Stunning.
So, please, no more rusting iron or drab bronze. Give us something truly to reflect the energy, effort and dynamism of our fantastic athletes, our gifted artists and artisans, and our gifts as a nation - something to delight the eye, make our hearts proud with excitement, and send our aesthetic senses soaring to the heavens on wings of joy. Or at least cheer us up a bit.
DAVID WOODS
West Street
Godmanchester
