In a playground park close to where I live, there is this statue of a boy balancing on a turtle - looking rather like he's using it as a surfboard. I understand that originally they belonged in a pond with a fountain; but that's long gone - only the statue left. And just now, in the snow, perhaps more accurate to say the boy is using the turtle as "snowboard"! (Brrr. I feel a bit like dressing him up warm...)
I snapped this photo yesterday when walking through that park. When uploading it to my computer today, I did a bit of "online surfing" to see if I could find out more about it. Turns out it was made in 1945 (when this whole housing estate was new), by an artist named Bror Chronander (1880-1964). What inspired the statue I've not been able to find out, though. Its title does not include the word surfing - it's just "The Boy and the Turtle".
It occured to me to also ask Bing Image Creator for "a young boy surfing on a turtle", and below is what I got. One of the four actually comes pretty close to the statue!
5 comments:
It is a beautiful statue, if a little out of context now, not placed in water anymore. Someone could give the boy a wolly hat and scarf, as well as gloves or even a cardigan. Trousers would be difficult!
about Librarian comment, someone could knit trousers or a bathing suit or shorts on the statue. ha ha.. love love love the AI boy on turtle, they would be cute printed and framed for a little boys bedroom. I am wondering if the artist even knew why he did the statue, the statue is almost as old as me, i am a 1944 model. ha ha
What a shame the pond is gone, it would be go together quite nicely.
Image Creator did a fabulous job. But I like the original statue the best.
Isn't there a famous statue of a boy on a dolphin, though I can't recall where it is - perhaps that's where the idea came from? The AI versions make me think "Hawaii" for some reason - must be the sunglasses!
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