The Statue of Liberty is a beautiful copper sculpture that is located in New York, United States. It was a gift awarded by the French government to the United States to celebrate the French-American friendship, while at the same time commemorate the emancipation of Black slaves. The renowned French artist Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty was often the first symbol of the United States immigrants saw as they arrived in New York harbor in the late 19th century (Maguth 4). The statue of liberty is a major tourist attraction site and every day, hundreds of people flock to the harbor of New York to get a glimpse of the beautiful work of art. While on tour in the United States, I visited several places but none of the sites I visited caught my attention as the beautiful Statue of Liberty. The robed female figure of the statue represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. What is more, the design of the Statue was shaped by various influences but drew principally on classical works portraying the Statue of Liberty as a woman holding aflame. What I liked most about the Statue of Liberty is how the woman is portrayed as carrying a torch. The torch is a symbol to represent enlightenment. In addition, I discovered that the green color of the statue’s copper exterior is because of oxidation. Moreover, the seven rays of Liberty’s crown, which I later came to find out represents the seven continents and the seven seas of the world is a unique design that makes the sculpture stand out. The statue of Liberty represents freedom, democracy, and above all, liberty to all persons.
According to Glassberg (9), “the Statue of Liberty’s place in American political culture comes from its status as a national monument owned by the federal government; its association with political ideals such as freedom, public order, emancipation, and national unity; and the efforts of various dissenting groups to link the Statue to their particular political causes.” The Statue of Liberty stands at an impressive height of 22 stories. Moreover, the sculpture is depicted carrying a tablet that is shaped as a keystone on one hand, which reads “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI” in roman numbers. The date, which was written in Roman numerals, stands for July 4, 1776, the date when the United States attained its independence. Made out of copper, the statue represents a woman dressed in a toga dress judging by how people used to wear during those ancient times. Furthermore, the sculpture depicts the woman standing in a still position, holding a shelf close to her body using her left hand, while in her right hand she holds a torch. She has raised up her hand pointing to the sky. The art style used to depict the statue of liberty is neoclassicism because of the willingness by the artist to revert to ancient classical art to express himself.
From a general point of view, the Statue of Liberty first stands out due to its large size. Moreover, the broken shackles of oppression and tyranny lie at the feet of the Statue. In conclusion, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most breathtaking pieces of art in the United States and is a symbol of freedom and liberation for the American people.
Works Cited
Maguth, Brad, Josh Dustman, and Megan Kerr. “Reexamining the Statue of Liberty: Different perspectives on history and the promise of America.” Social Studies and the Young Learner 25.4 (2013): 9-14. Retrieved from: https://www.socialstudies.org/system/files/publications/articles/yl_25041309.pdf
Glassberg, David. “Rethinking the Statue of Liberty: Old Meanings, New Contexts.” A paper prepared December, Department of History, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (2003). Retrieved from: https://archives.iupui.edu/bitstream/handle/2450/678/RethinkingTheStatue-Glassberg.pdf