Statue to honour Wollstonecraft

[MedusasBadHairDay]

www.theguardian.com/books/2020/nov/10/mary-wollstonecraft-finally-honoured-with-statue-after-200-years

It's a naked woman..

Currently reading A Vindication of the Rights of Woman for an OU course, and - unless the tone changes dramatically in the second half of it - I'm not seeing how an idealised nude is the right statue to convey anything about her?

The comments on the Times article say that the committee who chose it are all women. Is that correct?

It really is awful.

I love that witches statue HecatesCats.

www.google.com/amp/s/nzlincolns.wordpress.com/2016/07/29/statue-of-the-week-witch-where-why/amp/

Some information about the witch statue

www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/18304168.statues-get-purple-sashes-international-womens-day/

She got a suffragette sash on IWD.

I usually love Hambling's work but this is awful, both in concept and execution. Yet again, a woman reduced to her naked body.
Utterly depressing

She could have been clothed in her own words.

The organisers say it personifies the spirit rather than depicts the individual.

That comes back to that whole stereotypical "essence of a woman" shite a certain tra was banging on about.

Excellent analysis of statues and the female form by @BarbieReports on twitter now, and Mary's statue.

She's reported on a few naked statues in the past.

"Refuse to be the muse" is her motto, she shines a light on misogyny in the art world and galleries.

It’s a fucking disgrace. The committee should be ashamed of themselves and Maggi has just demonstrated she has no understanding of MW at all. Or is it some post oppression POMO stunt I am not woke enough to get?

Imagine being a 12 year old girl and having to walk past that naked statue with your 12 year olds male school boy cohort. This stinks. It really does. Why did no one challenge this in its development stage. For shame.

I must admit to not being a fan of Maggi Hambling's work, especially her sculpture, but I didn't expect this to be so wrong on so many levels.

I think it's inappropriate for the purpose. As pointed out earlier up thread, it's conceptual art. In a gallery, with an accompanying text on the artist's vision of everywoman and Mary Wollstonecraft, I'd nod and try to look appropriately cultured and appreciative like it. It looks rather decorative in the photo of it in situ, too.

But it's not a gallery piece. It's a commemorative piece of public art commissioned to memorialise a particular historical figure, using money raised for the purpose, from members of the public. You have to keep in line with their expectations, even if art critics think portrait statuary is overdone and clichéd.

If I'd donated to the fund, I'd be most unimpressed.

I found this thread in defence of the statue from which maybe indicates where and how the committee went wrong.

twitter.com/FernRiddell/status/1326089371590799361?s=19

I have a beautiful photo of my daughter and her friends beside the Millicent Fawcett statue (Pre covid climate march ).

I don’t think there is anything old fashioned about it. It’s a life like image of her.

I live close to Newington green but why would I take my daughters to see tits and ass which we are bombarded with anyway.

I hate it.

It’s so bizarre. Knowing Hamblings work this isn’t even her usual approach - it’s usually quite gritty/unattractive so why she’s done this is so odd

I hate it too - love the idea above that she could have been clothed in her words. Maybe that could still happen

I just dont see how it reflects the subject. It's a naked woman raising from a mass of naked women? And this nakedness is relevant how?

It's disgraceful.

If the woman on top is representative of women who 'rise to the top', why this woman and why not some men that she's risen above?

Poor Mary Wollstonecraft must be turning in her grave.

I think the face looks like a young boy.

I explained who MW was to my daughter and showed her a pic of the statue and she said “Why is she nude??!!”
Then she asked if they’ll put up a naked statue of JKR when she dies.

Butterer, that Oscar Wilde statue looks like the muppet character that comes out of a dustbin. As has been noted by various people, Hambling is not really a sculptor. She doesn't seem to have a good understanding of 3D work. I feel sorry for her here, actually, as I think she is genuine and will have had good intent, but somebody should have looked at the ridiculous statue and said 'sorry, no'.

Also, my one small note I am struggling not to keep saying because it's not pertinent to the main arguments - HER ARMS ARE TOO SHORT.

Yes, showed it to my 13 and 14 year old dds this morning...14 year old said 'looks like a perfume advert'....13 year old said, 'looks like the silver surfer has taken a massive dump'
(Future art critic)

From this angle she looks like she is being held aloft by a man. And looks like 'she' has a five o clock shadow 😢

Not sure if this image is real or not but according to Twitter someone tried to give the nude womanoid some layers last night

mobile.twitter.com/_CatherineAllen/status/1326303922873643008

On that twitter link (presumably depicting an early mock up) the body is more nebulous/faceless everywoman" and so more intriguing coming out of the swirl of the base - but the final version has this weird poofy bush and pointy norks and for me THAT is what's distracting.

The second, much better choice, reminded me of the wonderful Emmeline Pankhurst statue in Manchester. Maybe that was it's downfall, it wasn't original enough? Otherwise what on earth was the reason for this melted mess? The general idea of women rather than the actual woman the commission was for. Staggering.
Good to see people on Mary On The Green saying "we donated for a statue of Mary and this isn't one, can we have our money back?"

This is the Pankhurst one. I have a photo of my DD with it and saw a woman posing with it the just other day and looking absolutely over the moon, really made me smile. She often gets adorned with some sort of gift too, although the ReSisters one takes some beating

www.google.com/amp/s/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/statues-anti-transgender-campaign-manchester-15748574.amp

Those of you wondering about the proportions of the statue, it looks as if it's approximately 1 1/2 Julia Long's tall.

twitter.com/objectuk/status/1326444128897478656?s=21