A Monument to Freedom

I was listening to the news on the radio as I was driving on the morning of August 19, 2014 and there was mention that it was the 25th anniversary of... more

by Joan Carroll

Title

A Monument to Freedom

Artist

Joan Carroll

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

I was listening to the news on the radio as I was driving on the morning of August 19, 2014 and there was mention that it was the 25th anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic. Here is part of what House Speaker Boehner said that day: "On this day 25 years ago, another dent in the Iron Curtain was made when roughly 600 East Germans fled to the West. Their means of escape was - of all things - a 'friendship picnic' in a Hungarian village hundreds of miles from Berlin. Organized by opposition leaders as a way for Hungarians and Austrians to break bread for a few hours, the picnic became a breakthrough when East German families approached the gate and the guards stepped aside. The border was resealed, but the damage was done, and less than three months later, the Berlin Wall came down." August 19 coincidentally was the day I visited this site and that may have been why it was particularly moving on that day. I first saw this sculpture 15 years ago but it was much more moving to see it again.The striving and reaching of the horses viewed from the front is very powerful. From the side (which you can't see as well here) you see much more collapsed rubble from the Wall extending back through the depth of the sculpture. This was equally as powerful, as the horses are trampling the wall and leaping across the final barrier. The plaque below the sculpture reads: A Monument to Freedom by Veryl Goodnight, dedicated October 11, 1997. The Berlin Wall stood for over 28 years as the most visible icon of the Cold War. This 14 foot high, 105 mile long barrier surrounded West Berlin. It was erected by Communist controlled East Germany to keep its citizens from escaping to the West. On November 9, 1989, the world witnessed the sudden and unexpected collapse of the Berlin Wall. Sculptor Veryl Goodnight captured this moment of joy, felt around the world, when Berlin was reunited. By using horses, representing freedom of the human spirit, the artist recognizes all people who seek freedom from oppression. The graffiti painted on the rubble beneath the horses was replicated by the artist from actual graffiti painted on the Berlin Wall. At President Bush's request, the names of 15 people killed at the Berlin Wall are written on the 'Dove of Peace'. These names represent over 900 people who were killed trying to escape to the West. This bronze monument weighs 7 tons and took the artist 3 + years to complete. A 'sister' casting is on permanent display at the Allied Museum in Berlin, Germany. President George Bush's diplomatic skills enabled the hole in the Berlin Wall to become so large that all of Eastern Europe was set free from Communist Rule. The Cold War had ended."

FEATURED PHOTO, Premium FAA Artists group, 4/8//15

FEATURED PHOTO, 1 - Photo of The WEEK group, 10/13/14

FEATURED PHOTO, A B F A Platinum group, 9/19/14

FEATURED PHOTO, Landscape and Landmark Photography group, 9/16/14

FEATURED PHOTO, Heroes and Heroines group, 9/10/14

FEATURED PHOTO, Artists Best Five Artwork Group ABFA Group, 9/6/14

FEATURED PHOTO, Google Gallery group. 9/1/14

Uploaded

August 29th, 2014