That is how I've always seen it. That's how it looks in everyone's graduation photo.
After nearly two years off campus for restoration...here's what returned to the corner of Green and Wright.
I hate it. To me, and this might not make sense to others, the Alma Mater is a green statue. That's the way it should be. Clean it. Repair holes. But keep it green.
I'm aware it's a bronze statue. But there's a precedent here. The following is taken from Wikipedia.
Originally, the statue was a dull copper color, but shortly after 1900 a green patina, also called verdigris, caused by the oxidation of the copper skin, began to spread. As early as 1902 it was mentioned in the press; by 1906 it had entirely covered the statue. Accepting a view that the patina was evidence of corrosion, Congress authorized $62,800 for various repairs, and to paint the statue both inside and out. There was considerable public protest against the proposed exterior painting.The Army Corps of Engineers studied the patina for any ill effects to the statue and concluded that it protected the skin, "softened the outlines of the Statue and made it beautiful.
The statue in question? The Statue of Liberty.
I suppose I have no choice but to grow to love the new Alma Mater. Or at least accept it.
But to me it's a green statue. The patina gave it character and made it beautiful. Maybe decades from now, I'll return to Illinois and find that years of air and moisture have returned it to it's proper form.
I get where you're coming from, but I was never a huge fan of the corroded look that made it seem like the whole thing was about to melt (or quite aptly, like someone had peed on it). The newly restored version looks bold and rock solid.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don't know if bronze oxidizes differently than the Statue of Liberty's copper, but it seems like there would be long term harm from the patina (from here):
ReplyDelete"The campus has also decided to return the sculpture to its original bronze color. The blue-green patina that generations of students have grown accustomed to is actually the sign of corrosion eating away at the surface, officials said last fall.
Lasers are being used to remove the oxidation, and the metal then will be sealed with a wax compound, which will be reapplied periodically. The interior will be cleaned, repaired and treated in the same way as the exterior.
Sealing the statue protects it more than allowing it to patina would, she said."
I like the new, clean look. I never even thought twice about the green or got married to it. The first thing I noticed from the pictures was the U/I on the chest. In fact, I didn't even notice the Alma Mater was a different color. Guess that's how much I care.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that U/I was really buried before. Never noticed it like I do now.
ReplyDeleteAlso why is Google making me enter a captcha on every single comment? Lame.