Equestrian Statue Analysis

At one point in time it was believed that there were multiple equestrian statues during the time before the Christianization of Rome. The equestrian statues were created as a representation of their imperial leaders. The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius created around 173-176 C.E and located in Musei Capitolini, Rome, Italy is the only surviving equestrian statue from that era. The Equestrian Statue of General “Mad” Anthony Wayne, located in Freimann Square in Fort Wayne, Indiana and created around 1918 by George E.Ganiere is similar to the Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. Both of the statues creators wanted their works of art to last throughout the years without any damage to them from weather or age. Visual similarities between
the two equestrian statues have to do with scale of size, isolation, materials used, mass interpretation, and the settings. The statues were both made of bronze though Marcus Aurelius was gilded, meaning it had gold leafing covering it. Both of the statues made the person riding the horse look extremely important. Giving the person a sense of authority with a stern face looking outward.
The statues are both tall in height, making the viewer of the statue look up at the horseman. Which is how the artist or the benefactor intended for it be seen. The scale of General “Mad” Anthony is unknown, though the scale of Marcus Aurelius is approximately 4.24 meters tall. The statues each are complete in themselves, neither playing a part in a larger complex.
The way that mass is interpreted in the statues is giving the forms of the statues organic lines and curves.
The forms reflect natural growth and shape of actual people and horses. The curves of the muscles on either are seemingly perfect matched to those of living horse and human figures. The robe which Marcus Aurelius wears is curved in places that make it seem as though he has body shape underneath it. There is little to no reliance on geometric shapes on the statues of Marcus Aurelius and Anthony Wayne. There is some where it comes to the design on the riding blanket which Marcus Aurelius sits on and the harnesses used on both horses. They also each stand alone and can be seen from a distance, but the statue of Marcus Aurelius stands inside a building so it can be preserved. Neither of the statues are enclosed with a fence but as said Marcus Aurelius is inside Musei Capitolini. The setting around the statues play well with the craftsmanship, making them stand out more then they already do. The setting frames the statues well making them look realistic. Both are to be viewed 360 degrees to notice all the details of the
statues.
The visual differences between the two works are related to lighting, location, composition, and color. The lighting inside the building that the statue of Marcus Aurelius is located in is, of course, artificial light, which gives little to no reflection from the bronze and gold leafing on the statue but is lit much better than General “Mad” Anthony is. Especially because it has windows along with the artificial lights. The lighting General “Mad” Anthony gets is natural light, seeing as it is outside. Because it is outside the bronze of the statue will reflect a warm shine off of it when hit by the sun, unless it is shaded, then it is just dark brown. Also, since it receives natural light the color of the statue could fade after years of being outside.
The color of the statues are slightly different. The statue of Marcus Aurelius is naturally a light green color with some gold paint on it that used to cover the entire statue. They used a gold paint to represent status and power. The statue of Anthony Wayne is naturally dark brown without any other colors. The location of the statues are opposite one another.
The statue of Marcus Aurelius was once stood outside but is now inside Piazza del Campidoglio for its preservation. It is unknown where it was originally placed except that it was placed in the Lateran Palace since the 8th century until moved to Campidolio by Michelangelo. The statue of General “Mad” Anthony is outside in Freimann Park. The composition of the statues are different in whole. The statue of Marcus Aurelius has the horse’s right front leg lifted and left foreleg planted as if making it look as though it is moving forward in space.
Its head turned to the right with its mouth slightly open. Marcus Aurelius is posed with his right hand raised in the air and head tilted turned slightly to his right toward his raised hand. The artist who created the Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius used curves, horizontal, and vertical lines for it. They also used repetition to create the lines underneath the horse’s head and the curls on Marcus Aurelius’ head. General “Mad” Anthony has his head looking forward and hands placed on the reins as though he is pulling the horse’s head slightly right or stopping the horse. The horse is posed with its left front leg raised to step forward or possibly to turn. The artist, George E. Ganiere, used curves for the bodies of the horse and the General, as well as what they wear on them. He also used vertical lines for the
harness. Cultural differences of the two statues are their leadership positions and creation of the statues. Both statues are of leaders of two kinds. Marcus Aurelius was an emperor and the statue created of him was used as propaganda to promote followers while he reigned as emperor. They also used it as a way for his people to see what he looked like. The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius was created using the lost wax method and created in pieces before being put together to create the sculpture. General “Mad” Anthony was a Colonel in the Revolutionary War. The statue of the colonel was created and then dedicated in 1918. The statue was used as a celebration of what Anthony Wayne did for America. It is unknown on how the statue of Antony Wayne was created. Cultural similarities between the two statues would be that both their creators used a material that would preserve though weather and age, and is a solid structure. Both their creators used a material that they knew would remain solid and could be seen publicly and easily by viewers. The creators also chose to represent their subjects in a very naturalistic position. The statues are both anatomically correct in nature with volume and weight to them like real life objects. They are shaped to look like they are moving forward in space. And could be believed to be so if they are just quickly glanced at. They are given an illusion of depth and space because they are so well rendered as realistic and naturalistic statues.
In conclusion, both statues are believably realistic sculptures and created to last throughout the years. Created from bronze in hope that they would last through the ages for everyone to see. They do not seem to be much different when first glancing at them but after looking at them for a while you start to understand that they have quite a few similarities and differences. They are not the same, yet they are because of the materials used and subjects that were focused on. Yes, they were not both imperial leaders but they were both leaders to their people. Whether it through war or peace, they led their people through it.