The Progress of Railroading

The Progress of Railroading
Artist	Louis Saint-Gaudens
Year	1908
Type	Granite
Dimensions	18 ft (5.5 m) each for 6 figures
Location	Washington, D.C., United States
	38°53′49.3″N 77°0′23.17″W
Owner	Union Station

The Progress of Railroading is group of public artworks by American artist Louis Saint-Gaudens. This series of six sculptures were cut by Andrew E. Bernasconi, a high-grade Italian stone workman, between 1909 and 1911. These statues are located at Union Station in Washington, D.C., United States. The sculptures represent deities related to rail transport in the United States.[1]

Description

Six figures which stand at 18 feet high are on the main facade of the Union Station building. These granite sculptures are placed above three connected triumphal arches that make up the main entrance of the building. The six figures represent and mean:

The east and west figures are meant to deal with the operational system behind railroads and the center figures represent creativity.[1]

The west section is inscribed:

FIRE – GREATEST OF DISCOVERIES

ENABLING MAN TO LIVE IN VARIOUS CLIMATES

USE MANY FOODS – AND COMPEL THE

FORCES OF NATURE TO DO HIS WORK

ELECTRICITY – CARRIER OF LIGHT AND POWER

DEVOURER OF TIME AND SPACE – BEARER

OF HUMAN SPEECH OVER LAND AND SEA

GREATEST SERVANT OF MAN – ITSELF UNKNOWN

THOU HAST PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET

The center is inscribed:

SWEETENER OF HUT AND OF HALL

BRINGER OF LIFE OUT OF NAUGHT

FREEDOM O FAIREST OF ALL

THE DAUGHTERS OF TIME AND THOUGHT

MAN'S IMAGINATION HAS CONCEIVED ALL

NUMBERS AND LETTERS ALL TOOLS VESSELS

AND SHELTERS – EVERY ART AND TRADE ALL

PHILOSOPHY AND POETRY – AND ALL POLITIES

THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE

The east side is inscribed:

THE FARM – BEST HOME OF THE FAMILY – MAIN

SOURCE OF NATIONAL WEALTH – FOUNDATION OF

CIVILIZED SOCIETY – THE NATURAL PROVIDENCE

THE OLD MECHANIC ARTS CONTROLLING NEW

FORCES BUILD NEW HIGHWAYS FOR GOODS

AND MEN OVERRIDE THE OCEAN AND MAKE

THE VERY ETHER CARRY HUMAN THOUGHT

THE DESERT SHALL REJOICE AND BLOSSOM

AS THE ROSE

Two eagles also flank the left and right side of the arches.[1]

Creation process

When the Station was being constructed debate erupted regarding "who" the figures would be or represent. Historical American figures were considered, however, they did not fit into the Baroque architecture of the building, therefore allegorical figures were chosen. Many people were consulted regarding what figures to have St. Gaudens sculpt including Charles W. Eliot, the former president of Harvard University.[1]

Condition

The Progress of Railroading sculptures were surveyed in 1994 by the Smithsonian's Save Outdoor Sculpture! program and was described as needing treatment.[2]

gollark: Yes, you need at least two dimensions.

gollark: I think they're authcenter-ish?

gollark: I mean, mapping anything as complex as politics onto one dimension is very no.

gollark: Left/right is an oversimplification in many cases.

gollark: I have never *watched* "anime", and I do not plan to.

References

Goode, John Washington Sculpture. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008, p. 15.
Smithsonian (1994). "The Progress of Railroading, (sculpture)". Save Outdoor Sculpture. Smithsonian. Retrieved 14 Feb 2011.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[Goode-1] Goode, John Washington Sculpture. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008, p. 15.

[SOS-2] Smithsonian (1994). "The Progress of Railroading, (sculpture)". Save Outdoor Sculpture. Smithsonian. Retrieved 14 Feb 2011.