The Swan Sculpture of Lake Mirror
-Niveditha Raman
Lakeland is one of the cities of Florida and is famous for numerous lakes and museums, which are provided as spectacular tourist attractions for people to visit. Of those lakes, Lake Mirror is most recognized for its various sculptures that portray different themes of art. The beautiful swan sculpture, shown in this article, is a representation of the state of Florida, which is indeed home to thousands of swans. Sculptors generally intend to incorporate certain human aspects within their designs, and the formation of the swan in this region focuses on values of nature that humans need to understand. I believe that people neglect the sculpture’s beauty as details are incorporated. This piece of art symbolizes a source of purity, gracefulness, elegance, and good luck. In addition, the artworks painted on the swan’s front side show the cityscape of downtown Lakeland along with multiple colors used for the wings. Consequently, human purposes are being considered as a “role of art” with the presence of this sculpture.
I believe that this swan sculpture is located in the category of creativity along with other forms of visual arts, explained clearly in art textbooks. Typically, the creativity factor is inspired by observing natural phenomena or man-made architecture. Within this artwork, the sculptor had been inspired to produce a depiction of a real-life swan to entertain people and convey the accuracy within the shape of the wings, head, and body. One notable element of the sculpture is the upward position of its wings as if taking flight from the ground. The assorted pigmentations utilized to make new designs that are exhibited in specific portions of the sculpture give it a more unique appearance.
Even though the sculptor of this artistic creation is unknown, it is a fact that the city of Lakeland had been awarded several swan sculptures by the Queen of England in 1957. After it had been offered to the area as a gift, city officials decided to place one of the sculptures on a platform at Lake Mirror. Since this era, thousands of renovations have occurred to maintain the physical presence of the swan including original styles, new construction, and appealing features. On a day-to-day basis, hundreds of people come to view this masterpiece, demonstrating the audience that is being entertained. Americans from all over the county typically come to this particular location due to the number of modern art themes that are revealed within the sculptures, paintings, and crafts.
Furthermore, the theme of art that is applicable to the swan sculpture is “The Natural World” because the artwork is definitely depicting an organism that is found in the environment. In my perspective, the sculptor may have deeply observed and interpreted the subject matter of an actual swan to organize lots of sketches in order to build a realistic statue based on specific characteristics. When artists pursue this theme within their creations, they illustrate creatures, landscapes, and plant life to educate people about the importance of the Earth and the necessity of protecting wildlife. Similar to The Oxbow painting, the swan shows that nature could be appreciated by analyzing each component such as the bright sky, lush trees, and lovely river down below. In this circumstance, imagination also plays a key role in the process of sculpting.