Conquering the Wild statue (Mitchell Bundick)

Class on Wednesday (4/15) was held at Lion's Bridge. Aside from enjoying the good weather, we focused on the "Conquering the Wild" statue, which honors the legacy of Collis Huntington, known for his work on railroads. The monument is centered around a man attempting to tame a horse, with four other men each possessing different items. The items held by these men represent things like art, science, knowledge, and industry. As the work of architecture is titled "Conquering the Wild" the horse at the top represents the wild, while the man represents Huntington (or humans in general) attempting to "conquer" it. 

I think this monument is interesting and unique in terms of how it connects the construction of railroad systems to conquering nature. For the purpose of this statue, I think depicting nature as a horse at the top of the statue strengthens the connection between nature and railroads, as, pre-industrial revolution, horses were relied on for transportation (and are also a component of nature). Stylistically, I like how the statue is constructed with "man conquering nature" at the top, with the four men below. Collectively, the four men represent the hard work and time put in by humanity in conquering nature (like Huntington with his railroads). Another aspect we discussed was how the horse is facing the shipyard. This seems to attempt to further the idea of humanity conquering nature as it blurs the line between nature and industry. 

Overall, I see this memorial for Huntington to be both visually appealing and to contain a strong message that directly ties into this course. 

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