I visited Alton Illinois yesterday, just down the road from me, to photograph the Robert Wadlow statue.
Perhaps you have heard of this man who is on record as being the tallest man that ever lived. Weighing in at 490 pounds, and at 8’11″ tall it is a wonder to stand next to him! Below is a picture of Robert with his father.
Aesthetically speaking, I would like to have seen the statue’s head & neck sculpted a little broader and the glasses included. (Please see comments about the glasses below.) I enjoyed how the artist has captured the ackward stance of such a large figure.
Next to the Wadlow statue is a bronze replica of an extra large chair made especially for him. It was 95 degrees out so I sat in this chair for only a couple of seconds!
i was getting content for the site and saw this post and thought i’d share some knowdledge:
Louis Gibberson’s (GC alum) father sculpted this and i heard him talk about the process. he told us there were glasses, but kids kept stealing them.
Thanks for the info Curtis.
Glasses ARE indeed challenging on statues. Here is an interesting discussion of various solutions to this problem: http://www.sculpture.net/community/archive/index.php/t-1848.html
As someone there mentioned, I think the technique of just Suggesting glasses as seen on Roosevelt’s face on Mt. Rushmore is my favorite solution so far. Artists are always learning as we go along.