The Statue of Liberty by Illustrator Jonathan Chapman

No. 9 of my 2018 world series challenge is the Statue of Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World; French: La Liberté éclairant le monde) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbour. The copper statue, designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States. The monument was dedicated on October 28, 1886.

The figure depicts a robed woman representing Libertas, a Roman goddess. She holds a torch above her head with her right hand with a broken chain at her feet. In her left hand she carries a tablet inscribed with JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (July 4, 1776) the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The statue became an icon of freedom and of the United States, and was a welcoming sight to immigrants arriving from abroad.

This simple but colourful illustration is 29 x 29cm created with acrylic and ink on acrylic paper. The eastern seaboard (particularly Boston & New York) has been very influential on my work but it’s been more than 10 years since I last travelled to the United States. This iconic monument is one that i’d love to return to… particularly as the island was closed to visitors at that time. It would be wonderful to finally stand at the top and once again feel inspired by the Manhattan cityscape.

You can follow along with my world series here on the studio blogfacebooktwitter or instagram.

Next up: No.10 – Rio de Janeiro