This statute, called the Huntress Diana (or simply Diana) by Augustus Saint-Gaudens has been a favorite of mine for some time. It has such great contours, elegant form and is technically perfect. When I first saw this on a documentary about the artist, my attention was captivated.
There have been a lot of artists who created busts and statues to war heroes that exist as a physical reminder on their particular spot of remembrance. I am acquainted with the sculptor of the Husky statue outside of Gampel Pavillion at the UConn campus, and before every exam I had during my matriculation there, I rubbed its nose for luck. Indeed, that was a big part of the commission --- it's a congregating spot where people stride, touch and hold up their diplomas in front of it. It was a creation of college tradition. Nothing wrong with that.
But, when you look at his body of work, Saint-Gaudens had such a way with metal. I don't mean to blow smoke, but he could fill lifeless earth elements with reverent emotion. Whether it was the form of Diana; a tangible representation of the seclusion of depression in the Adams Memorial; or the glory, the diversity and a weird concomitant sense of anonymity in the Shaw Memorial as the eyes are first drawn to the long rifles being held over-shoulder as a dominant vertical, the massive horse as the dominant horizontal, the angel overhead... then the faces of the men. They demand the respect, but not the humbleness that many statues seek to impose. I think that's what makes such a difference for me, especially in these highlighted pieces.
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