This is an imposing depiction of Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1726), an English physicist and mathematician whose achievements are many and varied. He shares credit with Gottfried Leibniz for the development of calculus; he formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation; he clarified views on the structure of the Solar System; he built the first practical reflecting telescope; he developed a theory of colour based on the observation that a prism decomposes white light into the many colours of the visible spectrum; he studied the speed of sound; he even served the British government as Warden and Master of the Royal Mint. And that is a very much abbreviated list of his works.
It is no surprise, then, that a giant statue of him dominates the courtyard of the British Library. And large it needs to be given this volume of achievements.
The 10 ft bronze statue, Newton, after William Blake, is by the Scottish sculptor Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi, created in 1995 and inspired by a colour print by William Blake (which is now at the Tate).
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Copyright Debbie Smyth, 4 February 2016
It is an amazing sculpture, I have passed by it many many times
Mollyxxx
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Me too We’ve probably passed each other too!
Sent from my iPhone
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Thank you for sharing. No idea Sir Isaac was thus displayed in the British Library.
(Is there still a Library?)
Have a nice week-end
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Oh yes. And a very big one at that!
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I imagined so. Though Libraries will slowly likely fade away. Still struggling though. I went back to the New York public Library a few years back, and it is still alive and kicking, with all sorts of wonderful “digitalizing” new ventures.
have a nice week-end.
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Absolutely, love it!
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it must have been awesome to be in the company of such a towering intellectual!
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I think I prefer this quiet version 😉 The real version woudl have made me feel really thick!
On Thu, Feb 4, 2016 at 10:18 AM, Travel with Intent wrote:
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Excellent interpretation of the challenge. I like the angles you have taken the sculpture from.
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Thank you my dear
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You’re welcome… 🙂
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He was indeed a very big man in many aspects of science.
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Wow. Thank you for not making me wait too long for the entry, Debbie. I wondered if anyone would go with “bigger than life” and I am so glad you did, and I am pretty sure that Newton would be on top of anyone’s list. Thank you for interesting perspective and for taking trouble to photograph him at day and nighttime. Sculpture with a caliper and glasses. The third one shows him in the best light. When I saw the first night shot I mistook the caliper for a cane 😀 (but that’s only because of my knee 😉 ) I appreciate your entry a lot.
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I always enjoy entering your challenges Paula and this man was just waiting for the excuse to appear.
The last shot is from a couple of years ago – I just don’t seem to have been there in daylight for some time!
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