Mount Vernon has commissioned three wax figures of George Washington -- representing him at age 19, at 45, and at 57. British artists Sue Day and Stuart Williamson are doing the sculpting. Richard Pyle of the Associated Press has an interesting article about the project (The Columbus Dispatch, Feb. 20, 2006).
The life-size figures are part of an attempt to help counter the image of George Washington as the stiff and somewhat boring figure on the one-dollar bill.
And, yes, some people think it's funny that British artists are doing the job. I prefer to think of it as further proof that we well and truly buried that hatchet a long time ago...
hat tip: The Bernoulli Effect
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2 comments:
The more I read about George Washington, the more I admire him. He wasn't a "let it all hang out, touchy feely" guy, but he was a man of strong emotions, and strong beliefs. He also had incredible self-discipline and very good manners. I think it's these latter two attributes that, in this day and age, leave people blind to his exciting virtues.
My wonderful visit to Mt. Vernon 10 years ago was a step back in time. No 95 million dollar center, but a realness more important than the touristy atmosphere of nearby Williamsburg.
Ideally I agree with the place of sculpture. It should tell us the stories of our heroes; it did so for the Greeks. The pics of these creations make me wonder. What will be their witness to a image soaked world?
Wilfred M McClay cites in his essay, "The Founding of Nations," a passage from Ernest Renan's 1882 Essay ("What is a Nation?"):'"..OF all cults, that of the ancestors is the most legitimate, for the ancestors have made us what we are."' (p.38)
(FIRST THINGS, March 2006)
I should require these figures to convey that belief.
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