Statues and Their Importance

A statue is a sculpture representing a person or persons or an event. It is either close to life-size or larger. A statue represents someone or something.

The most common of all statues are the ones made to represent historical figures and historical events. Statues of Mahatma Gandhi dot almost every major city in India and the last supper is a statue that depicts a very important event in Christianity. Some statues are intended as public art and these are generally exhibited outdoors or at museums where they can be seen by the people. Some statues themselves become historic. A good example is the Statue of Liberty. It commemorates the centennial of the signing of the -United States Declaration of Independence, given to the United States by the people of France to represent the friendship between the two countries during the American Revolution. In 1986, to mark the one-hundredth anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, a three-day centennial celebration was held. All the great statues of the world were invited to the birthday party and giant puppets were created to represent them. Each one arrived accompanied by its native music. Statues of Gods are placed in temples and are generally huge.

Statues are a wonderful way to pay homage to the great. But once erected, over a period of time they lose their importance. Many of them end up being chipped and are used by birds as a perch to defecate. It is really sad to see the statues of great people being put to such use. Many times rival groups torch statues and vandalize and desecrate them. At times like these, one is forced to believe that statues are meant to be in museums where they can be looked after and maintained.