Angel of the North, a photo from Tyne and Wear, England

Photographer's Note

Sculpture by Anthony Gormley. I was living in Gateshead when this huge sculpture was first commissioned by the local council, at great public expense. There was quite an outcry, spending so much public money on 'useless art' - and the newspapers showed drawings of a sinister, dark giant. I have to say I wasn't sure about it myself! It was fabricated in the shipyards of the River Tyne and stands right by the A1 Great North Road (London to Edinburgh up the East side of the UK) and brought traffic to a standstill the day it was erected! I remember seeing it for the first time, I thought it was unfinished because it was a dull metallic finish. In a sense, it was unfinished - it now glows a deep red in the sunlight as the surface has rusted. In the long run, this amazing structure has put Gateshead and the North East of England on the map, and this has surely done the region a favour, bringing not only tourism but pride and enjoyment to those living there. Somehow this model angel, earthbound, seems friendly - a welcome to this area every time I pass.

Slight levels adjust and unsharp mask in Photoshop Elements.

eelliott305, Tim, Enia, WoodPigeon heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

Ebbe (9625) 2004-03-19 17:53

A great close up of the angel and the wee ones at its feet is a fine addition to set the scale. I made a minor change of your cropping, see my WS. I had an idea of cloning the mother(!) but I didn´t. Well done!

[workshop] [compare]

AdrianW (2274) 2004-03-19 18:44

Great shot! I really love the contrast between the giant angel and the people beneath - that gives a wonderful sense of scale. Something else I really like is that all the primary colours are represented here - the green of the grass hillside, the rusty reds of the statue, and the powder blue of the sky. I wouldn't change a thing :-D

Cougar (1752) 2004-03-19 19:15

Very nice composition, the peaple on the bottom are very small, that give a good idea of the angle.

gobloque (111) 2004-03-19 21:46

Very nice composition. The people below add scale to the angel. Well done.

Skorj (581) 2004-03-19 23:24

I think this subject cries out for special treatment? Your other sculpture photograph is a lot more thought provoking.

While it is true that the people add scale, here I think they detract from the potential impact. Particularly the person blurred in shadow.

Without the people you have the massive simple elements - with that great sky, enormous impact.

Nice as it is too though.

eelliott305 (776) 2004-03-20 13:34

I think this is one of the best shots I have seen of this amazing sculpture. The red rust, particularly on the wings, stands out beatifully against the bright sky. I`m not sure everyone will appreciate the size of the sculpture. Including the people emphasises it.

Enia (365) 2004-05-27 20:09

Steve your photo is great! I've never seen this sculpure before. It is so huge and imposing that scares me a little bit. The human presence also magnifies the sculpture's quite succesfully. Do you know what this sculpture represents? It reminds me of Icarus who in greek mythology tried to fly having his wings made by candle...Is he? (Maybe I am totally wrong!)

WoodPigeon (457) 2004-06-18 1:05

I didn't know there were other pictures of the Angel on this site... but then again, I'm not surprised!

I love this sculpture very much! and you've chosen a great angle here! Nice tight crop with crisp colours! I hate to say it but it's even better than mine!
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/United_Kingdom/photo20842.htm

I'd love to go back and see it... a lovely welcome it is (especially while travelling on those horrid National Express coaches!)

DiaAzul (1403) 2004-07-23 19:20 [Comment]