Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?
Frida Kahlo
Have you ever thought what fun it would be to be able to fly! Not boxed up in an aeroplane, but free, like a bird? Many would opt for that as their ‘super power’ if given the choice, I reckon. But maybe we all have wings, of a sort?
When I visited Frida Kahlo’s home in Coyoacán earlier this year I was struck by many things, but in particular her dedication to her art despite her disabilities that kept her often bed bound. Her ‘wings’ were those of her imagination, of course, and we all have those!
For this week’s Sunday Stills challenge Terri has asked us to focus on wings. I’ve featured so many bird and butterfly shots in the past that I thought I’d do something a little different. I’ve pulled together a selection of images of winged statues and carvings from around the world. There are plenty to choose from!
It seems that imagination of ours draws us to attribute the wings we lack to other beings, like angels and fairies. In them we sense the power that we lack, to find freedom in flight and connect us to other worlds, whether spiritual or magical.
My feature photo was taken in the Eglise Saint-Paul et Saint-Louis in Le Marais, Paris.
I’ll start with a very large winged figure, Anthony Gormley’s Angel of the North in Gateshead, north east England
(Yes, you saw that in my recent sculptures post but from a different angle!)
Much much smaller, a little cherub above a door in Lucca, Italy
Another little cherub above a door, this one in Liege, Belgium
In South Ealing cemetery, west London
On the main front of the Chiesa del Gesù, Lecce, Italy
In the Roman Catholic St Mary’s Cathedral, Newcastle upon TYne, England
Candle holder in St Albans Abbey, Hertfordshire, England
In Riga Cathedral, Latvia
On the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City
Detail on the Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria
In the Plaza de America, Seville, Spain
Winged Victory in the Parque de MarÃa Luisa, Seville, Spain
Detail of a statue on the Pont Alexandre III, Paris
Atop the Queen Victoria statue in front of Buckingham Palace, London
The Rusalka Memorial in Tallinn, Estonia, erected in 1902 to mark the ninth anniversary of the sinking of the Russian warship Rusalka
The angel is holding an Orthodox cross towards the direction of the shipwreck
The statue of ‘Eros’ at Piccadilly Circus, London, at sunset
One of the most photographed winged statues in the world, this figure on top of the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain isn’t in fact Eros, the god of love, but Anteros, the brother of Eros and the god of requited love
50 Comments
equinoxio21
Excellent selection Sarah. It also shows how symbols can be -almost- universal.
(As an aside, I stumbled across two young blokes from Newcastle in MedellÃn. They wore a Newcastle school rugby jacket. I asked them whether they spoke Geordie. It took them a moment to realise what I was saying. Then with a big smile, they said no…)
Toonsarah
Thank you 🙂 They do say you meet a Geordie wherever you go, and even if they denied speaking the dialect they would be called Geordies if they come from that area. But my guess is that they weren’t school jackets (not many teenagers would wear school uniform abroad!) but university ones. As one of the best universities in the UK it attracts students from all over the country and many from abroad, so they may well not have been Geordies at all, hence their initial puzzlement!
equinoxio21
Oh, yes, when I said “school” I meant University. Those “blokes” were in their early 20’s.
Sarah Wilkie
Another example of US v UK English! We never use school in that context, even though we do sometimes call individual university departments, e.g. School of Physics. I have a feeling very few Geordies study at Newcastle University!
equinoxio21
Very true about American English. I’m afraid my English has been thoroughly Americanised… I try to “move back” as much as I can, but, I probably really speak “mid-Atlantic. 😉
I also understand what you say about Geordies…
grandmisadventures
What a beautiful collection of wings. The last one with the sunset behind it is really striking 🙂
Toonsarah
Thank you Meg – that sunset photo was a touch of serendipitous timing!
norasphotos4u
This is a beautiful gallery of artful wings!
Toonsarah
Thank you Nora 🙂
Rose
I would love, love, love to be able to fly free like a bird! Your beautiful sculpture photos reminded me of the Rumi quote, “You were born with wings…”
Toonsarah
Thank you Rose – that would have been a good quote to illustrate this post!
Ingrid
Great collection of wings for the challenge. I especially love the last one at sunset.
Toonsarah
Thank you Ingrid, I’m pleased you enjoyed them 🙂
Forestwood
You have encountered many angels on your travels, Sarah! Have you been counting?
Toonsarah
Gosh no – but you’re right Amanda, it would be a lot 😀
margaret21
What a fun idea. Your ‘Eros’ shot is great, and I had no idea it was misnamed. And of course I enjoyed your Angel of the North shot. A good idea to include a person, for scale.
Toonsarah
Thank you Margaret 😊 For anyone who doesn’t know the Angel, a person in shot is essential if they are to grasp the sheer size of it!
margaret21
True!
Forestwood
Unsure if previous comment loaded so replying again. All those Angels! Have you been counting, Sarah? I think the one of Eros or Anteros is my favourite. So delicate atop the pedestal.
Toonsarah
It worked fine Amanda, although both this comment and the other one were posted as replies to other commenters so may have been hard to spot among all the others!
Easymalc
Another terrific selection Sarah.
Toonsarah
Thanks so much Malcolm 😀
bushboy
Wonderful gallery Sarah
Toonsarah
Thank you Brian 🙂
thehungrytravellers.blog
I didn’t know the Eros fact either! Even though I’ve seen it hundreds of times. Wings that don’t move…an interesting study concept
Toonsarah
A lot of people don’t know that about Eros, Phil, and even those of us who do still tend to refer to it as Eros 😀
Annie Berger
I echo Terri’s comment about your superlative collection of winged statues. I hadn’t realized the ‘Eros’ statue was one, so famous, and two, that it wasn’t in fact the ‘Eros’ statue at all! Annie
Toonsarah
Thanks so much Annie 😊 ‘Eros’ is one of THE sights in London, there are always tourists gathered around taking photos, listening to the buskers who are always there or simply resting on the steps at the foot of the statue.
Annie Berger
Thanks for the tourist tip, Sarah, as we somehow missed spotting the statue on our trips to London. Will have to remedy that when we stop again!
Sarah Wilkie
Wow, you could be the only tourists NOT to visit Piccadilly Circus when in London! I have some favourite restaurants in that area, so it would be a great place to meet up next time you’re in London 😀
EgÃdio
Fantastic gallery, Sarah.
Toonsarah
Thank you Egidio 😀
kzmcb
Apart from the first, they’re all quite heavenly, aren’t they?
Toonsarah
Thank you – I think Anthony Gormley would like us to think his Angel is heavenly in its own way 😀
Ju-Lyn
Spectacular international collection of angels!
I love Antony Gormley’s work … the size of this one must be stupendous!
Have never seen the Picadilly angel in this light – stunning.
Toonsarah
Thank you so much Ju-Lyn 😊 I think I’m right in saying the Angel of the North is Gormley’s biggest work to date at least – I’m a big fan of both it and his work more generally!
Monkey's Tale
I don’t participate in these challenges but follow a lot of bloggers who do. I love how you often have a different interpretation of the prompts. Maggie
Toonsarah
Thank you Maggie 🙂 The challenges aren’t for everyone, and I had no idea they existed when I started blogging, nor did I initially have any interest in joining in! But these days I enjoy how they prompt me to share photos taken some time ago and also give me ideas for topis I might not otherwise have thought of. But there are so many, I have to be quite selective 🙂
Teresa
Such lovely winged sculptures. I really liked how you captured the Angel of the North with the tiny person.
Toonsarah
Thanks so much Teresa 😀 The Angel of the North is amazing, I love photographing it!
janet
That’s a lot of wings, Sarah. The Angel of the North is amazing and as Terri said, it was good to have a human for scale.
Toonsarah
Thank you Janet – if you don’t know the Angel of the North you can’t really appreciate its sheer size without a person in shot!
Anne Sandler
Beautiful photos of winged statues Sarah. I love your last in shadow. Simply wonderful with the sunset.
Toonsarah
Thank you Anne 🙂 That Piccadilly Circus shot was a lucky grab with my phone when I was up in town for the cinema a few years ago – I came out of the Tube station to find that glorious sunset so I just had to take a few photos!
Heyjude
You have some beautiful wings here Sarah, and I never knew that about Eros.
Toonsarah
Thanks Jude 😀 That fact about Eros is a popular trivia quiz question I think, and not generally known except by those who take a strong interest in London’s sights!
Sue
What a collection, Sarah!
Toonsarah
Thank you Sue 🙂
Terri Webster Schrandt
What a fabulous gallery of winged statues, Sarah! My challenge brought several of those to my attention, which means I’ll have to photograph them when I see them.
The last image of Anteros is stunning with the sunset! The huge statue at the beginning of your post is truly incredible! I appreciate you left a human in the image so we can see the scale! Thanks for joining WINGS this week for Sunday Stills.
Toonsarah
Thanks so much Terri, for both this comment and the inspiration behind this post 😊 I’m so glad you like the Angel of the North – it’s a favourite sight of mine, both in its own right and because when we see it on our long drives north to Newcastle it means that we’ve nearly arrived!