The “Miniature Statue of Liberty” by Willard Wigan

Introduction

In the “Miniature Statue of Liberty” by Willard Wigan, the balance is asymmetric because, despite the overall symmetry of the statue’s main body, the raised hand distorts it. However, this balance enables visual stability and with this statue.

Main body

Unity is created by using the same material for the statue, making the miniature one solid piece of artwork. The variety is created through the balance between the needle eye where the statue is placed and the miniature itself. Although the materials of the two are similar, there are noticeable differences.

Scale and proportion are especially crucial for this work because it is miniature copy. However, the resemblance to the actual Statue of Liberty is magnificent. Therefore, all of its elements have to correspond to the size and proportions and the original.

The focal point of this miniature statue is the torch, similar to the original Statue of Liberty. With Wigan’s work, it is even more prominent because, with the miniature, some details are lost or difficult to see, while the torch is held up in hand, it is very noticeable. On the other hand, considering that this is a miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty and it is placed in the eye of the needle, the statue can be viewed as a focal point, where the needle helps emphasize the size of the work.

Conclusion

All the principles have an essential role in the work of art. However, their priority may change based on what the artist wants to convey. However, it is important to use all of the principles, for example, without a focal point, the viewer would be confused regarding the artist’s message. For this artist, for example, the scale is essential, because the miniature statue is smaller than the eye of the needle, requiring very particular attention to the details.