Art and Science

Art and Science (The Victoria Memorial)” by Sir Thomas Brock, K.C.B., R.A. (1847-1922) 1911. Bronze. Facing the Mall, London. As Malcolm C. Salaman pointed out in the 1911 Studio, the group entitled Science and Art, "is composed also of nude ideal figures in recumbent positions, the female with a palette and brush, the male with a pair of compasses. Sir Thomas is still at work on these groups." The bas relief beneath the figures here originally appeared beneath those representing Naval and Military Power.

Two views of the figure representing art. Note Brock's representation of brushes and palette in the left-hand photograph and the head covering in the detail at right.

Rear view of the two figures. Note a sculptor's hammer behind Art and the sculpted face next to it. The round riveted machinery behind Science could be the base of a crane or a locomotive cylinder, but whichever or whatever it is, it embodies engineering rather than what we today would consider science.

Two other views of "Science".

Related Material

Photograph at top by George P. Landow; others by Robert Freidus [You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite it in a print one.]

Bibliography

Beattie, Susan. The New Sculpture. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983.

Salaman, Malcolm C. “Sir Thomas Brock's Queen Victoria Memorial.” The Studio 53 (June 1911) 29-40. Internet Archive digitized from a copy in the University of Toronto Library.


Last modified 25 December 2010