Tuesday 7 February 2012

ABC Wednesday - Paul DAY

 Paul Day's "The Meeting Place" was one of the statues commissioned for the recently refurbished Victorian railway station of St Pancras in London.  Day shows himself and his half-French wife Catherine representing a French woman reunited with her English lover, symbolising the meeting of two cultures and the romance of travel.  This is a station that the French and English do meet because the Eurostar trains departs and finishes here, travelling back and forward from the two countries under the Channel Tunnel.  The statue is huge 20 tonnes and 9 metres high,  it needs to be because the William Barlow's St Pancras shed of 1868 is on a monumental scale.  The statue is one that is both loved and hated.  I'm now going to leave the luscious St Pancras architecture, glimpsed in the background, for later in this round of ABC Wednesday but instead show some of the reliefs around the frieze at the bottom of the statue, all continuing the theme of people meeting in a public spaces  
 The men who built the railways
 I think this is supposed to be a railway driver and two people waiting on a station
 The underground rush hour commute, and lastly
meetings on stairways.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, Round 10, a journey from A to Z...


14 comments:

Annie said...

What an interesting place. I can imagine that the sculpture is controversial and either loved or hated. The windows behind it are gorgeous!

Jane and Chris said...

From your photos....I like it!
Jane x

jabblog said...

I think it's stunning.

photowannabe said...

There is a lot of power and personality in the statue. I rather like it.
Day captured the movement in the pantlegs and strain of muscles in the woman's. Good photo and information.

Meryl said...

WOW!!! What a glorious work of art. I look forward to seeing more.

VioletSky said...

Oh my, that is huge. It certainly doesn't want toi get lost in the station!

Hildred said...

We were in St. Pancreas in 1995, and went across to France on the Chunnel, but didn't see this beautiful statue.

Roger Owen Green said...

Quite romantic, I think.

ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Rajesh said...

Fantastic sculptural works.

Chubskulit Rose said...

Those are gorgeous!

Dolce & Gabbana

Rose, ABC Wednesday Team

Tumblewords: said...

Impressive work, all around. I love it...

jane said...

How real that sculpture looks - and how elegant - we have not been to St Pancras - but if I do I shall certainly be wanting a couple of shots of all that art
Jane UK

Leslie: said...

What a fabulous statue! Love everything about it. But why is it loved AND hated?

Leslie
abcw team

Joy said...

Well to answer two queries...
Hildred and Charles, I think this statue was installed in 2007 so you were a decade too early:-)
Leslie. I think the loves have it but some think it is kitch so hate it. I think Day has done well with the space but its not my favourite statue at St Pancras; you will have to wait later in this round to see it, is that a teaser?