Also i want to make a list of fictional colossal statues, which is what i really need help with. If you can think of any literary massive statues please tell them to me.
So far I have:
The Argonath (from Lord of the Rings)
Trojan Horse (Illiad)
Four with four toes (LOST)
Next week, but I'm also working on improving Wikipedia's information on colossal statues, so I'll still want any ideas after that.
I've come across a fascinating statue called the Spring Temple Buddha, which is rumored to be largest statue in the world! Ironically there is practically no information on this wonder. For some unknown reason the Chinese government has kept the project in complete darkness. The only places on the internet where i have found the statue mentioned is wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_statues_by_height) and this guys blog (http://themalarkist.com/2008/02/26/e...s/#comment-58). Does anyone want to use their internet skills and see if they can find anymore information on what could be the largest cover-up in art history?
Wow, that is really interesting!!!! I will poke around online for that, lol.
I was watching a show not too long ago, on History Channel (I think), about an ancient statue that the Statue of Liberty was based on. See if I can find anything about that for you.
The Colossus of Bamyan doesn't get much attention, that could impress your teacher. It's also deals with very tragic and controversial issues that would be perfect for your paper. It was purposely destroyed relatively recently. You've also that wonderful giant statue in Rio de Janeiro.
Last edited by MaxPhactor23 : 06-04-2008 at 12:27 AM.
Interesting. I came across a Chinese travel site and there are only 3 cities listed for the province that the statue is in. The city it is actually in is not listed. (Pingdingshan)
When looking at a map of the province after putting in the city's name in search, P and another city show up. Strange.
Coal mine accidents killed 4,746 people in 2006 and 357 in the first two months of this year, figures from the State Administration of Work Safety show.
I wonder if China wants to keep this under wraps?
There was also the Pingdingshan Massacre in 1935 when the Japanese came through and machine gunned 3000 villagers. There was one survivor. Within the past few years, the survivor(s) (there were 3 people suing) tried to sue Japan for money and an apology, which they failed to win.
The statue I was thinking of was the Colossus of Rhodes. He's on your list, though. And I don't live too far from the Jolly Green Giant statue. We have visited him a number of times over the years!
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
Haha, I would've chosen the exact same subject!
I LOVE colossal statues! Fascinated by them!
I have a couple of lions for ya:
First one is the 22 meters long Lion of Belfort in Belfort, France, sculpted by Frédéric Bartholdi. You may remember him from another famous colossal sculpture. She holds a torch and a book
Here is the beast:
Second one is the Butte du Lion or Lion's Mound in Waterloo, Belgium. It's basically a huge, 141 ft high artificial mound erected on the spot where the famous Batle of Waterloo took place in 1815. On top of the mound, on a massive stone pedestal, stands a 31 ton lion.
Legend went that the lion was cast from molten cannonballs which the French had abandoned during the battle...
In fact, I live at only a few miles from Waterloo's famous lion. Countless times I ran up those stairs to the top of the monument to roll down the grassy mound.
Thanks for the Ozymandias poem. I plan to use The New Colossus poem for the statue of liberty, and I'll definitely use Ozymandias for a Ramesses statue. Any other literary references to colossal statues would be amazingly helpful, teachers digg that kind of stuff
I ordered a documentary about the Bamyan Buddha's on Netflix, so I'll defiantly include that one. And of course I'll use the Colossus of Rhodes, one the 7 ancient wonders of the world! The statue on the Lion's Mound isn't big enough for my definition of colossal, however if you count the man made hill as part of the sculpture it might work.
Its amazing the lack of information out their on some of these Asian colossal statues. I'm still dumbfounded that the largest statue ever is so unknown. You think that guy could have made it up, and photoshopped pictures for his blog?
Location: Neuchâtel, Switzerland (Canadian from Montreal)
Posts: 6,947
How about Mother Russia? 270 feet tall.
As for fictional, you may want to look into Jason and the Golden Fleece. The film version, "Jason and the Argonauts",
has the crew on an island full of colossal statues of the Titans (and one comes to life). I don't remember if this part
of the story is from the actual myth or if it was created for the film but it's worth looking into. Good luck on your project!
As for the mound at Waterloo, it was made by ploughing all the earth into that central location so the surrounding terrain
of the battlefield looks nothing like it did in 1815.
As for fictional, you may want to look into Jason and the Golden Fleece. The film version, "Jason and the Argonauts",
has the crew on an island full of colossal statues of the Titans (and one comes to life). I don't remember if this part
of the story is from the actual myth or if it was created for the film but it's worth looking into. Good luck on your project!
Ah! Talos is great! I believe he is in fact from Greek Mythology, though the events in the film with him are different.
Also i want to make a list of fictional colossal statues, which is what i really need help with.
In the 1987 arcade game Rastan on the first level there were several colossal statues.
In the 1981 movie clash of the titans the giant Kraken is turned to stone from a look at Medusa's head.
The Two Watchers at the Tower of Cirth Ungol in the The Lord of the Rings.
1974 film The Golden Voyage of Sinbad he fights the living statue of Kali.
Robert E. Howard's fictional character Conan is said to worship Crom. In a pastiche novel called the Valorous by John Maddox Roberts, Crom is represented on his mountain in a immense cavern as a giant statue seated on a throne whose likeness is lost in obscurity because the torchlight only reaches his chest.
Location: Neuchâtel, Switzerland (Canadian from Montreal)
Posts: 6,947
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaxPhactor23
Ah! Talos is great! I believe he is in fact from Greek Mythology, though the events in the film with him are different.
Quick check confirms that Talos is indeed well-rooted in the Jason myth. The difference in the film is who defeats him.
(Why are you named after a line of cosmetics?) I knew the Titans were part of Greek mythology but wasn't sure if
Jason actually fought one. Definitely add Talos to your fictional list, theneogon!
Quote:
Originally Posted by NLogan
1974 film The Golden Voyage of Sinbad he fights the living statue of Kali.
Classic! One of my favourite moments in motion picture history. Problem here is, it's not colossal!
(There was also an ENORMOUS, towering stone golem in the '80s "Dungeons & Dragons" cartoon.)
The Dying Lion of Lucerne, Switzerland is by no means colossal but much bigger than it appears in photos.
I know it's really a carving (intaglio/gravure) and not exactly a statue but thought it was worth showing.
Mark Twain called it "the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world."
You think that guy could have made it up, and photoshopped pictures for his blog?
I *totally* thought that, but then he had the google aerial view. Could that be easily photoshopped? Because honestly...it looks rather fake.
Are you in University?
These statues are beautiful! I'm trying to think if there was anything in Narnia that was a statue, you know, permanently:P. Not seeing anything in the Companion to Narnia. But the White Witch turns her captives into stone, including giants:P.
[quote=NLogan]
The Two Watchers at the Tower of Cirth Ungol in the The Lord of the Rings.
QUOTE]
Speaking of fictional colossal statues in movies...
I think the absolute biggest to date are the ones seen in Batman & Robin (1997)...
If I remember correctly, at one point our caped crusaders have a motorcycle pursuit on top of one of them...
(It was also the only cool thing in that film...)
(Sadly...)
Last edited by Attila the Professor : 06-04-2008 at 05:09 PM.
Reason: The site you posted from didn't allow hotlinking. I've taken out the image tags and just had them be links.
World's largest snowman in Minnesota? That’s blasphemy! Here in Maine we actually make real colossal snowmen. Well actually this year we made a snow women, here's a link http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/view/237591/#.
Anyways thanks for all the help! Talos and the Kraken are both perfect fictional statues/beasts. Keep the ideas rolling!
For those interested, this project is my final for AP art history. The assignment is to create your own art exhibit (in a paper) featuring artwork from all across art history about a particular theme or idea. For example my friend is doing the mythical creatures in art, while another student is doing female nudity through the ages. Of course its not a realistic project, we are required to include famous artwork that would cost billions to obtain. I pushed this unrealistically to the max, and choose colossal statues. Basically I have to have a minimum of 15 pieces that fit my theme, each one annotated with at least a page annotation about the work. Additionally I have to have some essays about certain aspects of my theme, I'm writing one on colossal statues in fiction.
The statue of liberty will probably be the statue I spend the most time analyzing. Originally it was a gift of friendship from France to America. Of course sense then it has come to represent a lot more. Its impressive role in culture makes it (in my opinion) the most significant piece of artwork in modern history. In fact Lady Liberty has become an icon of the modern age, evidenced by its role apocalyptic fantasy: http://culturemonkey.blogspot.com/20...ti-future.html.
I'm also using stone carved sculpture as colossal statues. I'm not using non-figurative sculpture. Theres enough human and animal figured colossal statues out there for my purposes.
Very interesting. I'll be interested to see how it goes. One minor suggestion I'd make, and you're obviously far more immersed in the literature than I am, is that one nice "hook" might be to talk about how the statues that are made so large have to count for something more than any old statue might.
Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument are rather more carvings, I suppose?
And, you probably already have it, but Christ the Redeemer in Rio is a must. Same goes for the statue in the Temple of Zeus, the one that was a part of the 7 wonders along with the Colossus, although since it no longer exists, I guess that's a questionable inclusion. The Sphinx, perhaps?
When you say Ramses, I'm guessing you mean the big ones at Luxor? Also, there's the Buddhas of Bamyan that the Taliban destroyed.
Crazy Horse monument are rather more carvings, I suppose?
You probably read my last post wrong, I AM including carved statues. I just wrote my page on the Leshan Giant Buddha, which was carved into a cliff. Rushmore is actually a bust of just four faces, not really a full statue, however I might use it anyway.
Sounds like it will be a very interesting project.
The first thing I thought of that wasn't already mentioned (Christ the Redeemer, the statues of the Seven Wonders, etc.) was the giant statue that Nebuchadnezzar sees in a dream and Daniel interprets in the Bible. That might be an interesting thing to mention, even though the symbolism of the statue in vision probably falls well outside the topic.
Haha, Maine is an awesome state! I nearly married someone from there. I am originally an East Coast girl, I just pretend Minnesota is an extension of Maine and the New York Adirondacks. Without the mountains of course:P.
Our snowman is not made of snow and he is there year round. Of course, they just redid the highway near him and now he is much harder to see, despite his size:P.
For those of you interested in colossal statues you may want to read up on the Maitreya Project. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=125984
They are planning to make the largest statue ever built! To me the whole operation seems overly idealized and not realistic, but then again I didn't UEA would actually be able to build islands in Dubai.
(a smaller one found here 
