The Philadelphia Museum of Art is home to the Rocky Statue, originally created for the movie Rocky III in 1982. As the movie goes the statue was put at the top of the stairs in honor of Rocky, the same stairs he ran in the original Rocky movie. Although the movie is non-fictional, it and the stairs represent that hustle and hard work can make a long shot a champion.
Sylvester Stallone, who wrote and plays Rocky donated the statue to Philadelphia and it was originally at the top of the stairs. Since 2006 the statue has resided in a viewing area at the bottom of the stairs. It remains one of the city’s most visited landmarks with lines every day during tourist season waiting to visit Rocky and take a photo or selfie.
Gracing the entryway to the Museum today is a statue of Prometheus Strangling the Vulture (1944, cast 1953) by Jacques Lipchitz (1891 - 1973). The statue is made of bronze which tarnishes green over time. Between the columns are banners with reproductions of Mary Cassett’s art, who is on exhibit until September. What’s interesting are the faces in the artwork appear to be viewing and reacting to the statue.
Shot was taken using Canon R8, f5.6, 1/3200 sec and ISO 1600. The lighting on the overcast day was perfect. The Rocky cameo is an iPhone shot taken by a tourist from England. We met waiting in line and we reciprocated taking shots of him and his family.
Comments