Lately I have been inspired by grand acts of human achievement, Things that when you see them or think about them you generally think “Holy Crap, Humans did that. We Did That. It is real.” so to show you guys some of the inspiring things I’ve been ganderin’ at, I have compiled this list of completely, ridiculously good looking (and mind boggling-ly huge) Statues. I love statues (imaginary concepts as well as the real ones!) just as much as I love architecture – I believe the two fit wonderfully hand in hand. As Designers we want to design awesome things all the time but typically I don’t think of things like Statues when ever I am working on a project – perhaps I should!
Looking at these things inspires like nothing else – they are not only beautiful to look at, but they are beautiful to think about. The materials that go into these things, the thinking, the engineering, the hard work that it took to get these statues into place as well at the creativeness that it took to dream these things up. It all just makes me smile. Lets take a look at what statues are and a brief history.
History Of Statue Art
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing one or more people or animals (including abstract concepts allegorically represented as people or animals), normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger. Its primary concern is representational.
The definition of a statue is not always clear-cut; equestrian statues, of a person on a horse, are certainly included, and in many cases, such as a Madonna and Child or a Pietà, a sculpture of two people will also be. A small statue, usually small enough to be picked up, is called a statuette or figurine.
Many statues are built on commission to commemorate a historical event, or the life of an influential person. Many statues are intended as public art, exhibited outdoors or in public buildings.
Some statues gain fame in their own right, separate to the person or concept they represent, as with the Statue of Liberty.
Statues have been around for centuries, first appearances of statues are believed to be around 30,000 BC (THATS A LONG TIME AGO). The first statue ever is believed to be the Lion man, from Hohlenstein-Stadel, Germany. Humans have used statues to commemorate events, achievements, important icons and figures, and much more throughout the ages for their own civilization to gaze in awe at, as well as for future generations of humanity to look back and remember the achievements of the great.
Whatever you are working on I hope you check out these statues, get inspired (maybe even look at the history behind some of them, and get even more inspired!) and create something that may last the test of time and be seen by generations decades from now (maybe even centuries!) I hope you are feeling creative, and Enjoy!
Kumbakarna Laga Statue
This statues is completely Epic. I first saw it a while back and could not believe it was real. But it is! It is located in Eka Karya Botanical Garden, Bedugul, Bali, Indonesia. This thing is HUGE – the 3-story high statue depicts Kumbakarna Laga in the fight against the monkey army in the Hindu Ramayana epic.
So much detail. So fierce!
This thing is 3 Stories Tall. So. Epic.
Bird vs Man! Another awesome statue in the same place, Rahwana Jatayu statue
Another good one from the same place, ancient deer hunter! lol Love the details in these
Statue of Hanuman in the same place
Blizzard HQ Statues
These are more of a novelty compared to the rest, but Blizzard has some epic games with incredible artwork. Many of us have played Diablo, World of Warcraft, or Starcraft at some point in our life. Blizzard really knows how to leverage their epic status and make an awesome appearance with these real-life statues of their famous characters. They are so cool. I would want to go visit a Blizzard HQ (I believe there are several throughout the world, where these statues reside) just to see these masterpieces up close and personal!
So Awesome – World of Warcraft Statue!
Queen of Blades from Starcraft 2!
I love Tyrael from Diablo. This Statue is completely badass.
Spring Temple Buddha
The Sprint Temple Buddha is the tallest statue in the world. It is freaking GINORMOUS. It is incredible that it exists. It is 208 metres (682 ft) tall and weighs in at an incredible 1,000 tonnes. Beneath the statue is a Buddhist monastery. The entire project cost an estimated $55 Million and was completed in 2002. So Interesting!
To put its size in perspective, the toe is about as tall as an average person. HUGE.
Emperors Yan and Huang
This would definitely win for largest (coolest?) mustaches? haha. This is one of the 5th tallest statues in the world at 106 metres (348 ft) tall. They depict two of the earliest Chinese emperors, Yan Di and Huang Di. The construction lasted 20 years (DANG) and was completed in 2007. They are located in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, People’s Republic of China. According to experts, the statues commemorate politics and the economy
Peter the Great Statue
This one is awesome (well they all are but..) because of all the details its like this is a whole scene in a painting or something. It is the Eighth Tallest Statue in the World stacking up to 98 meters high; However, There is no denying that it is ugly though haha. In November 2008, it was voted the tenth ugliest building in the world by Virtual Tourist. In 2010, it was included in a list of the world’s ugliest statues by Foreign Policy magazine.
The Motherland Calls
This is probably one of my favorites just because its so big and the way that it is done is so elegant and old timey, there is definitely nothing like that around where I have lived or traveled, I would love to see it in person. Also the history behind (all of these really) is so interesting. This was the largest statue in the world in 1967, it is the last non-religious statue to be declared the largest. Compared to the later higher statues, The Motherland Calls is significantly more complex from an engineering point of view, due to its characteristic posture with a sword raised high in the right hand and the left hand extended in a calling gesture.
Such a Curious Statue. almost as epic as the Motherland Calls!
Leshan Giant Buddha
This one is really cool just because it is SO OLD. It amazes me the things that humanity was able to create, engineer, design, sculpt, or achieve way back before modern times. This is by far the tallest pre-modern statue in the world. Construction was started in 713, It is carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China and is 71 metres (233 feet) tall. So Interesting.
Mother Motherland, Kiev
At first glance I didn’t think this one was that cool, but these pictures made me really fascinated with Mother Motherland – you can actually climb up inside this one! Its pretty huge! (weighs 560 tons!) Also looking at it closer, I really like the details, the classic sword and shield warrior look – really fascinating.
African Renaissance Monument
This is another curious statue because of all of the controversy when it was being built that it caused due to the cost ($27 million) and seemingly excessive size of the monument. It stands at 49 m (160ft) tall which makes it the tallest statue in Africa. Despite all of the negative things people had to say about it – I think its actually pretty awesome from a structural point of view – It reminds me of Planet of the Apes for some reason haha – that would be a cool statue for another civilization to find on our planet (or another). We should put one of these bad boys on Mars! LETS DO THIS! lol
Interesting to see something like that under construction. These Massive Modern Marvels.
Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue
This is probably my favorite Statue that was built “recently” – this one was finished in 2008. The cost of the complex is reported to be $4.1 million. The statue is symbolically pointed east towards his birthplace. Genghis Khan was obviously a pivotal character in the History of the world. (loves me some History). Visitors are able to spend one or more days there and realise way of life of ancient Mongolians. Its SO SHINY!
Gundam statue
This one is just awesome because ANIME THATS WHY. The fact that it exists restores my faith in humanity. It is Beautiful – a work of art! It is an 18 meter tall statue located in Diver City Tokyo, Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan (just moved there in 2012 – it moved twice before). It is a 1:1 model of the Gundam mobile suit from the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam.
What was your favorite Statue!? Any particular thing catch your interest, or inspire you? Let us know what it was below in the comments! Thanks for reading!
You like this? Don’t forget to follow us on twitter @andysowards and like us on facebook @andysowardsfan! We are also on that Google Plus & Pinterest thing.
