User:Gigisokay/The West Wind (Gould)

Sculpture up in the MAG in Rochester, New York Artist: Thomas Ridgeway Gould Year: 1818- 1881 Medium: Marble sculpture Height: 5'2'' tall Location: Memorial Art Gallery

The West Wind

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The West Wind is an 81-inch marble sculpture created by Boston artist Thomas Ridgeway Gould and is considered one of his most prominent and famous works of art in the neo-classic piece, it can be described as one of the "best known" of his creation. The sculpture's novel qualities include subjects of movement, composition, and great use of forms.

The sculpture has been identified as depicting the Greek God Zephyrus . It is sculpted from a marble block. Gould was originally making this sculpture as a commission for some Brooklyn, New York Collector, U.S. Representer Demas Barnes. It is said that this work of art was created from 1818 through 1881; where the sculpture was later finished in Florence, Italy. The sculpture was acquired by Barnes, and he opened it up to the public for the press to document. The sculpture is now found in the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, New York. It has been permanently displayed in the gallery since 1966.

The sculpture's global fame and popularity stem from the style of his statues; Americans loved the neo-classic style that was exhibited in the statue. Gould got a lot of exposure to Greek, Roman, and Renaissance antiques contributed a big part to his style of art that many Americans love to view. Some other good examples of this influence in Gould's work would be the Ralph Waldo Emerson that is displayed in Harvard University library, a statue of John Hancock that is presented in Lexington, Massachusetts town hall, and three bronze castings of a sculpture of the Hawaiian King Kamehameha I, which one is placed in the United States Capitol.

The West Wind is so popular that it has a good sum of money on it. the piece could go for about 40,000 to 60,000 dollars. But for the hammer, however, it could go for about 96,000 dollars from 1996

Title and Subject

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The title of the sculpture, known as The West Wind, is a depiction of the Greek God of the West Wind, which is Zephyrus, although the orientation could be switched depending on which side the statue is facing. One form of which inspiration for this piece is from a poem written by the British poet Percy Bysshe Shelley called 'Ode to the West Wind'. In the poem, the final words were "O Wind, If Winter comes, can spring be far behind?". This line from the poem on how wind can signify a change in the world.

In Greek mythology, Zephyrus is depicted as the mythical being for one of the many gods of the winds. In English, it is also spelled as Zephyr. In Greek mythology, Zephyr is the son of Eros, the god of love, and Astraeus, which is the goddess of the dawn. Zephyr is seen to be the most favorable compared to the other god winds and is commonly associated with flowers, and protection during the time of spring. Even though the sculpture depicts a woman, Zephyrs is seen as a man, which means that the god is affecting the female and her clothing; the sculpture is not of the Greek god.

Description

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The West Wind bears a strong resemblance to many depictions of art depicting the westward expansion, which was the process of Britain's pushing Native Americans off the land of their ancestors. The woman is standing us straight with one arm across covering her chest. Her gaze is fixated away from viewers, facing westward, thus the name of the piece. The proportions of the artwork are significantly accurate, which Gould archives by his methods of sculpting by using hammer and point work. The careful detailing holds homage in one part of the sculpture: the ruffles of the skirt.