Friday, May 24, 2013

SkyWatch: 28 Winding Steps Sculpture

Works by German artist Ottmar Hollmann are among my favorites of the sculptures that grace the landscape of the city of Jeddah.  Hollman made several out of cast alloy with elegant etched detailing adorning them.  This piece is called "28 Winding Steps" and is supposed to denote the various phases of human life.  Topping this sculpture are a crescent moon as well as an astrolabe, a nod to Arab achievements in the field of science.  In fact, this artwork was inspired by The Book of Healing, the standard of medical texts used at medieval institutes of higher learning.  This book was penned by Avicenna, a Persian Renaissance man.  Leonardo da Vinci was perhaps the most famous Renaissance man, which is a person who possesses vast knowledge on a variety of subjects.   


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5 comments:

Dina said...

This is really nice. And good symbolism in it.

Laura said...

lovely sculpture Susie!

Dorothee said...

this is wonderful. i live in Germany, but didn't know about Ottmann.
have a great sky weekend~

Misty said...

Very interesting and a lovely piece of art. Have a nice w/end. :)

Arija said...

An interesting concept of the stairway to the stars.

I know you, as a mere woman, have many restrictions where you are and have to manage as best you can within them. I have stayed with friends in Oman and always covered up whereas the lady who was living there as an ex-pat, went sleeveless and in pedal pushers. I firmly believe , 'when in Rome, do as the Roman' , it does not serve to antagonise one's hosts. If it helps, we are all constrained in one way or another.