Caryatid

[Kai Jones]

I went to the museum with my son today to see a special exhibit of
sculpture by Rodin. As we walked through the opening room (roughly
square, a large room with a double-height ceiling and skylights) I was
drawn toward a figure slightly more than life-sized of a woman being
crushed under a rock. I welled up. My son asked why.

"It's the caryatid," I said. "I read Stranger in a Strange Land when I
was 10, and I never thought I'd see this sculpture that was described
so beautifully, it has stuck with me for over 45 years." Through the
exhibit the sculptures are described on signs posted on the nearest
wall. Sure enough, the description for this one sculpture, of the two
dozen or more in the exhibit, had two plaques. One of the plaques had
the complete quite from SiaSL, after a short paragraph about Heinlein.

There was another caryatid being crushed by a jug. And many others.
At the end my son expressed that he thought the exhibit had been
mostly about horror. He's not wrong-there's a lot of horror, despair,
tension, and stress in those bodies and parts of bodies.
--
Usenet is my home planet.

[a425couple]

"Kai Jones" <sni...@panix.com> wrote in message...

I'm guessing this is the passage to which you refer?

'I was first introduced to this work from one of my mostest favoritest
books:
"For three thousand years architects designed buildings with columns
shaped as female figures. At last Rodin pointed out that this was work too
heavy for a girl. He didn't say, 'Look, you jerks, if you must do this, make
it a brawny male figure.' No, he showed it. This poor little caryatid has
fallen under the load. She's a good girl-look at her face. Serious, unhappy
at her failure, not blaming anyone, not even the gods.and still trying to
shoulder her load, after she's crumpled under it.
"But she's more than good art denouncing bad art; she's a symbol for
every woman who ever shouldered a load too heavy. But not alone women-this
symbol means every man and woman who ever sweated out life in uncomplaining
fortitude, until they crumpled under their loads. It's courage, [.] and
victory."
"'Victory'?"
"Victory in defeat; there is none higher. She didn't give up[.]; she's
still trying to lift that stone after it has crushed her. She's a father
working while cancer eats away his insides, to bring home one more pay
check. She's a twelve-year old trying to mother her brothers and sisters
because Mama had to go to Heaven. She's a switchboard operator sticking to
her post while smoke chokes her and fire cuts off her escape. She's all the
unsung heroes who couldn't make it but never quit.
-Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein (1961)

I'm not alone in using this passage to describe this work. It does it so
well and so completely that any other attempt falls short.'

From
http://tib.cjcs.com/2110/caryatid-my-favorite-sculpture/
more explanation and pictures are at the cite.

[Loupgarous]

You did well. Horror is a part of life, but in our culture we tend either to deny that, or to titillate ourselves with it in novels or movies - reducing it to fantasy. I'm impressed and warmed that the museum actually used the Jubal Harshaw quote, for it's some of Heinlein's best work.

Thanks for educating your son well.