Freedom by Zenos Frudakis

 

The Freedom sculpture, by Zenos Frudakis is a quartet of figures that are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Frudakis mentions that the sculptures are created from a personal situation but does not specify what the situation was. Frudakis’s father moved to the United States from Greece when he was five years old. Because he was raised in Greek culture, Frudakis was really interested in the art of sculpture. His aesthetic vision was heavily influenced by Greek art. Sculptors including Michelangelo, Bernini, Carpeaux and Rodin inspired Frudakis. Frudakis was also interested deconstructionist philosophy including the poetry of Eliot, Frost, Roethke and Graves. He emphasizes figure and portrait. The sculpture tools he uses are inherited from other artists and are between 50 and 100 years old. His sculptures are made out of bronze and each piece may take between 6 months and a year to create. Frudakis follows a specific process when creating his pieces. First, he designs his ideas on paper. First drafts are then made in the studio followed by the actual models. The clay sculptures are cast in bronze and baked at 2100 degrees Fahrenheit. Once they are cooled, they are installed in either museums or public parks. The Freedom sculpture is 20 feet long and 8 feet high. They were finished on June 18, 2001 and weigh 7,000 pounds.

The Freedom sculpture represents the universal desire to break free; the need to break free could be from an internal struggle or an argumentative circumstance. For the artist, it is about the “struggle of for freedom of achievement” through art and creativity. The quartet of sculptures signifies one person’s process of breaking free. The first one is in the position of a mummy like death who is trapped in his background. Michelangelo’s Rebellious Slave inspires the second figure that is beginning to move out. The third figure is stepping out of the wall toward his freedom. The final figure is completely free and escapes his own mortality. The artist escapes his mortality through his art; the artist dies but is remembered through his art. Another theme Frudakis depicts in this sculpture is the process of creating sculptures. The original design is cast into the left hand corner of the sculpture. In the lower right hand corner there is a cast of the sculptor’s hand holding tools and rolls of clay. Throughout the sculpture, Frudakis has left his handprints in the wall to represent fingerprints on the miniature model he made. In addition, the figures move from left to right in a way that depicts the rough drafts to the final product.

 

This piece appeals to me because it is a one size fits all. The theme Frudakis is trying to portray is a universal one. The idea of breaking free can be applied to almost all aspects of life from African American slaves trying to escape discrimination to transgender people trying to break free from societal standards. I believe everyone should take the leap and break free from his or her problems. People should not live their lives in fear. In addition, they should not live up to societal expectations. Everyone should live the life the way they want to. This work also speaks to me because it represents the power of art. Through the time consuming process, artists are able to portray universal truths that are universal and immortal. One does not need to know any language to understand the message Frudakis conveys in Freedom. Anyone can see that it is a man seeking freedom. Not only can people appreciate this piece while Frudakis is alive, but also after his death. He will be remembered through his work. Therefore, this beautiful idea can be appreciated by many generations to come. One thing that I find particularly beautiful about his work is that the sculpture is genderless, making it even more universal.