Art can come in many forms. The artist can use his pen to narrate a capturing story or he can pick up his hammer to carve his masterpiece. Behind every mesmerizing sculpture, there’s an untold story. Let’s learn about 4 tales behind works of art.
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Walk through a wall…. But be careful!
Have you ever sat at a boring dinner and thought about walking through the door? Or have you ever imagined walking through stands to attend matches without waiting in line to get a ticket? Well, it sounds cool and a man has already done it! Well, kind of.
Le Passe-Muraille (The passer-through-walls in English) is a short story by Marcel Aymé. Aymé wrote a tale about a worker named Dutilleul who discovers that he has a superpower. Dutilleul realizes that he can walk through walls! At first, he uses his power for fun. But then, he becomes a burglar and gets caught. Dutilleul ends up in prison but he manages to escape through walls. One day, Dutilleul was trying to escape through a wall but he gets stuck! This interesting story was behind a statue with the same name in Montmartre, Paris.
If you ever get to see the statue in person, you would notice that his lower hand is a bit shiny. This is because lots of tourists hold that hand and try to put Dutilleul out of his misery. It’s also a good photo for Instagram. Sorry, Dutilleul!
The Knotted Gun
John Lennon was a legendary singer and musician. He was a member of one of the most famous bands of all time, The Beatles. Lennon was also a peace activist who sang about love and called for stopping wars.
Unfortunately, Lennon was killed in 1980 in New York City. The news shocked the world. After that event, the Swedish artist Carl Reuterswärd decided to make a sculpture of a gun with a knotted muzzle as a tribute to John Lennon. The Knotted Gun sculpture became a symbol of a foundation called The Non-Violence Project. This organization helped to promote peace. The sculpture is located at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City.
Buddha Head in Tree Roots
Buddhism is a popular faith in many Asian countries. Lots of people follow Buddha’s teachings and you can find tons of statues and temples of Buddha all over Asia. However, one sculpture stands out. Head to Wat Mahathat temple in Ayutthaya, Thailand and you would find a stone Buddha head within the roots of a tree! There are many stories behind the unusual site.
Some people believe that the tree grew around the head in a time when the temple was abandoned and empty. Others say that some thieves tried to steal the head but it was too heavy so they left it in its current place. There’s even a myth that the roots of the tree swallowed the thieves and protected the sculpture. No matter the reason that led to this unique placement, it’s certainly worth the visit. If you ever get the chance to see the famous head, remember to be respectful and don’t go too close to the sculpture as it’s a sacred site for Buddhists.
Stay quiet! Eriny is sleeping
There’s a sleeping girl guarded by an angel In Alexandria, Egypt. This isn’t a fairy tale though. In the 1880s, a girl named Eriny Zurbadaki died at the age of 19. Her parents were affected by that traumatizing event. They refused to accept her sudden death. So, they decided to build two statues above her grave. The first one pictures the sleeping Eriny while the other one shows a guarding angel asking visitors not to disturb her. The statues are still at the Greek Orthodox Cemetery in Alexandria, Egypt.
