Paul Abbott
New member
This is the gilded image of St. Paul atop this column, in St. Paul's Cathedral courtyard.
Paul Abbott - St. Paul, London '10 #4
Paul Abbott - St. Paul, London '10 #4
-
Please use real names.
Greetings to all who have registered to OPF and those guests taking a look around. Please use real names. Registrations with fictitious names will not be processed. REAL NAMES ONLY will be processed
Firstname Lastname
Register
We are a courteous and supportive community. No need to hide behind an alia. If you have a genuine need for privacy/secrecy then let me know! -
Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!
London's Statues & Monuments #4
- Thread starter Paul Abbott
- Start date
Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
This is the gilded image of St. Paul atop this column, in St. Paul's Cathedral courtyard.
Paul Abbott - St. Paul, London '10 #4
Paul,
St Paul's is one of my favorite British Architectural landmarks.
St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral on Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century and was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. It is generally reckoned to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral, all having been built on the same site since 604 A.D. The cathedral is one of London's most famous and most recognisable sights. At 365 feet (111m) high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1962, and its dome is also among the highest in the world, St Peter's Basilica in Rome being higher. The Monument to the Great Fire of London, also designed by Wren and the tallest doric column in the world, would fit inside the cathedral's interior.
Source.
That you specifically show the corner edge of the wall to the right of the column is a mark of discipline and care in composition. Just that edge allows us to separate the two structures and then permit them to potentially freely move, if they were living beings and decide themselves to stand together through the centuries. The great dome itself appears to lean towards Paul's statue in respect, honor and gratitude. I do wonder though at the precept of "not making a graven image", a subject of much energetic and divisive discussion and debate! Still, I'm not Anglican, Catholic or even Christian and thank goodness they didn't worry about such scruples when they made these great cathedrals.
As always, a salute to your efforts and good luck on this prestigious series.
Asher
Ken Tanaka
pro member
I happened across this article in the New York Times archives, stashed in PDF format.
The article dates back to 1882.
The article dates back to 1882.
Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Ken,
You are so stashed with eclectic references and this is rather fun, knocking the stuffy British and their royalty.
Asher
Paul Abbott
New member
Asher, I enjoyed composing the elements in this image. I really like how strong the image of St. Paul is in this photo, for me he steals my eye everytime without fail.
Paul Abbott
New member
Ken, that critic is a 'cad and a bounder'! 
Some of the sculpture's/ statues of Churchill in London are not that great. For me, the only one that has a decent likeness is the one in Woodford, an outlying suburb of London and of which he was an MP.
The ones of Nelson Mandela in Parliament Square and on the South Bank are poor, too. And so it goes on.
Gen. Havelock's head is alright though and proportionate, unless his head was the size of a football (an english one), or the size of a peanut in real life, if you know what I mean.
Some of the sculpture's/ statues of Churchill in London are not that great. For me, the only one that has a decent likeness is the one in Woodford, an outlying suburb of London and of which he was an MP.
The ones of Nelson Mandela in Parliament Square and on the South Bank are poor, too. And so it goes on.
Gen. Havelock's head is alright though and proportionate, unless his head was the size of a football (an english one), or the size of a peanut in real life, if you know what I mean.