Christ the Redeemer (Sculpture)

What is the context?

Christ the Redeemer is a 98 foot tall statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue is the figure of Jesus Christ and was created by Paul Landowski. This Polish-French sculptor joined with Heitor da Silva Costa, Albert Caquot, and Gheorghe Leonida to complete the statue. Both Costa and Caquot were the engineers behind this piece while Leonida was the one to create the face. The full statue is located at the peak of the Corcovado Mountain and was built between the years of 1922 and 1931. The initial suggestion for a sculpture atop Corcovado Mountain was given in the 1850s as a way to praise the princess of Brazil at the time, Princess Isabel. After this suggestion was dismissed the next proposal was in 1920. At this time Brazil held a convention for donations to construct a universally Christian sculpture. The weeklong event was called Semana de Monumento or Monument Week. The reasoning behind the event was the society in Brazil at that time. Brazilian Catholics saw a godless community. The first design contained Jesus holding a globe and standing on a pedestal that represented the world. After multiple other designs and ideas the current statue was chosen. Christ’s 92 foot wide open arms symbolize peace.

What is the artist communicating and how?

The themes of this statue are religion and community. The arms of Jesus Christ on this statue point to north and south Rio de Janeiro. As they are extended the arms also symbolize peace. Many people believe that the open arms show that Jesus will accept, love, and embrace anyone who comes to him. A chapel was consecrated at the base of the statue in 2006. This chapel was the celebration of the statues 75^th year anniversary. The chapel was also consecrated to Our Lady of Aparecida. Our Lady of Aparecida is the patron saint of Brazil. This shows a continuation of religion and religious practices in the area. Community is shown through what it took to create the statue and all the people that come to see and praise the statue. The statue’s ultimate funding came from a group of Brazilian Catholics who decided to create an organization. Once the concrete structure of the statue was recognized it took multiple artists and engineers to construct the piece. On July 7^th, 2007 the statue was named one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This continues the statues representation of religion and community as people from all over the world travel to Brazil to see the sculpture at least once in their life.

Why do I find it beautiful?

I have found this statue beautiful ever since I have seen it. It is in a beautiful country, on a beautiful mountain, and has a beautiful background. After starting to research the statue I have found a different appreciation for the figure. I believe that what the statue symbolizes and what it took to construct it shows a different side to the meaning. With Christ’s arms open wide it seems to fill the body with an inner peace and knowledge that Jesus is holding his arms out to the spectator and letting them in for a hug or acceptance. The most beautiful part to me about this statue is the history and the restoration that took place in 2010. Though Christ the Redeemer is known for many restorations and additions, during 2010 the most interesting was done. Throughout the years, stairs, escalators, etc. were added to the statue, but in 2010 the statue was washed and the outer layers were replaced. During this Christ the Redeemer was vandalized when paint was sprayed along the arms of the statue. After this vandalism, Mayor Eduardo Paes spoke out calling it a “crime against the nation.” This truly shows how important and meaningful the statue is to Brazil and many other people around the world.