Photo of the Day (3.8.09)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Today’s photo comes to us from Guillermo Esteves, who took this “portrait” of a statue head at the Vizcaya Museum & Gardens in Miami, FL. You just don’t see a lot of close-ups of like this, but it’s a great photographic trick. All too often when shooting a statue or a building, the tendency is to step back and get the entire subject in your frame. But frequently it’s just as useful (and more interesting) to get REALLY close. You’ll capture tiny architectural details, textures and even facial expressions that might otherwise have been missed.

Think you’ve got some great statue portraits you’d like to share with our readers? Why not upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr? We might just pick one of yours as our Photo of the Day.

Bolshoi in Russia: Is this the world’s ugliest statue or what?

by Iva Skoch on

Greetings from Moscow! Bolshoi in Russia is my variation on Big in Japan. (Bolshoi means “Big” in Russian. Get it?) Stay tuned for my live dispatches from Russia this week.

Moscow is an incredibly vibrant city. New buildings are popping up everywhere (and one can only hope they will soon cover a lot of the other buildings I’ve seen). Russian architecture is a mixed bag. There are some real gems, but a lot of it is just supposed to illustrate the greatness of Russia, and is simply horrific. (As most pieces illustrating the greatness of any nation typically are.)

Take this statue, for example. I honestly could not believe my eyes the first time I saw it. Smack in the middle of the river Moscow in downtown Moscow, there is Peter the Great, dressed in a Roman toga, clutching a golden scroll, while standing in a comparatively kid-sized boat, setting direction away from Moscow. Zurab Konstantines dze Tsereteli, a controversial Russian-Georgian artist completed it in 1986.

The worst part of it is, you can’t get away from it. It’s 94,5 meters (300 feet), twice the size of the Statue of Liberty. It’s the sixth tallest statue in the world. It’s pitch black and so monstrously outsized, it looks surreal.

From a lot of angles it even dwarfs the church behind it, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, which is the tallest Eastern Orthodox church in the world. It has got an interesting history, too. First built in 1883, it was demolished in 1931, by order of Stalin‘s minister Kaganovich. Nikita Khrushchev later was transformed the site into a huge public swimming pool, the largest the world had ever seen. Only in 1994 did they start rebuilding the church. Although it looks old, it was completed in 2000 and, interestingly enough, it was built by the same architect who built the Peter the Great statue. I am telling you, you can’t get away from this guy in Moscow.

Which brings me to my question: What is the ugliest statue you have ever seen?

From Russia, with love.

Odd Statues from Around the World

by Brett Atkinson on

Weird statues are usually the end result of a city councillor with too much time and other people’s money on their hands. Some of the planet’s oddest statues include a giant Optimus Prime from Transformers and the kids jumping into the Singapore River outside the Fullerton Hotel.

Check out those and other odd and offbeat constructions here, and let me know any that have been overlooked, especially from your neck of the woods.

Some of most poignant and imposing statues I’ve seen are at Statue Park in Budapest. While other former Communist countries destroyed their statues of Lenin, members of the Proletariat, and brave Socialist soldiers, Hungary moved them to a park on the egde of Budapest.

Click here for an article I wrote about Statue Park, or read more travel information about Budapest.

News via Oddee and pic of Statue Park thanks to nicol_b on Flickr.

%Gallery-7453%

Manneken Pis: Brussles’ Pissing Boy

by Willy Volk on

Created in 1619, Manneken Pis is among Brussels’ most famous statues. Literally translated as “Little Man Piss,” the statue — only 2 feet tall — can be found behind a small fence at the corner of rue de l’Etuve and rue Chênet. If you show up on the right day, he may even be wearing one of his 600 costumes — most of which are freaking hilarious! — and all of which can be seen at the Musée de la Ville de Bruxelles.

Despite numerous legends about how he got there — to deter enemies; to extinguish a lit fuse — Manneken has led a bizarre and action-packed life, including escaping numerous kidnappings.

If you doubt the value of taking time out of your chocolate-tour to see the diminutive statue, check out the hundreds of positive reviews of the attraction on Virtual Tourist. Despite being small, Manneken Pis sure is a big hit.

If you visit, don’t pass up the chance to get a commemorative corkscrew. Also, be sure to spend a few minutes checking out his sister, Jeanneke Pis.

Amsterdam to Erect Prostitute Statue

by Dave Luna on

The world’s oldest profession is finally about to get the recognition it deserves. The city of Amsterdam approved a bronze statue dedicated to the world’s sex workers. The figure depicts a “self-assured woman, her hands on her hips, looking sideways towards the sky, and standing on a doorstep.” Officials have not yet determined where the monument will be placed.

The statue is rather good news because I finally have an excuse to tell people if I ever did visit Amsterdam’s red light district: “I wanted to see the local arts.” To which I’d probably have to add: “Who knew I’d need to buy prescription ointment for that?”