Search for Beauty 2021

 The statue by Lions Bridge depicts the conquering of nature using the symbols of the four men that represent technological advancements. These are geometry/mathematics represented by paper and a compass, tool smithing represented by an anvil, literature represented by the book, and art represented by the paint palette. On the top of the statue is another man, successfully restraining a wild horse. This man is different from the other four, as he is fully clothed in modern garments and boots while the other four are only dressed with a loin cloth. I interpret this as meaning that this is an actual man while the other four are simply symbols represented the four technologies I describe. This conquering of nature contrasts the recent trend of finding aesthetic beauty in the countryside, and it goes back to describing beauty found in man's influence on the earth.

 At the beginning of this week we had the opportunity to go to the lions bridge and have class outside and take in the sunset. We started class off examining the statue at the Mariners Museum that depicted the founder of the shipyard. It was a very ornate piece with so much shown in it. The bottom showed the four disciplines (math, literature, art, and science) with Greek styled male statues dressed only in a sheet. Then the top changes completely and depicts who we are led to believe is the founder wrangling a horse. In wrangling this horse it shows him taming the wild, bringing together all the elements of work to create the shipyard. In order for him to have succeeded he needed to be able to tame that wild side and create a business. After we analyzed the statue for awhile we got to go and look out onto the James River as the sun began to set and really painted the whole sky. The beautiful backdrop to our discussion on nature all felt like it fit. The environment for our discuss...