The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a potent Chinese cultural icon. It exemplifies a culture of national pride and grand projects, as well as one of determination and resistance. It is also a symbol of China’s rich history of art and literature. The Great Wall has inspired countless poems, songs, and legends.
One of the most famous is a tale of a woman named Meng Jiangnu, who waited day and night for her husband to return from building the wall. When winter came, she sewed her warm clothes and went to the construction site. There she met a man who had lost his way and was buried at the wall. She was so distraught that she wept for days and nights. The pass where the couple was buried became known as Xifengkou (sshee-fnng-kohu).
In 1988, American performance artist Marina Abramovic set out to walk the entire length of the Great Wall. Her trek was arduous and often dangerous. She slept in villages and hostels each night, which were often a two-hour trek from the wall itself. Everywhere she stopped, she would ask a local villager to tell her their story of the wall. Many of the stories told were dragon stories, as the Great Wall was built to thwart invaders from the north. The wall also had beacon towers along it, where soldiers could communicate with one another by using different colors of signal smoke made from burning wolf dung.
The Eiffel Tower
As one of the most iconic landmarks in Paris, The Eiffel Tower has become synonymous with France itself, lending a touch of Parisian charm. A symbol of engineering prowess, this wrought-iron lattice structure is also known for its breathtaking light shows and coveted viewing spots.
But the Eiffel Tower wasn’t always such a popular attraction. When the structure was first built in 1889, it was supposed to be torn down after 20 years of use. Determined to make the landmark a lasting symbol of French industry, architect Gustave Eiffel and his colleagues Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier consulted with renowned architect Stephen Sauvestre to give the project more aesthetic appeal.
It took more than a year for workers to complete the first level of the landmark, which at the time stood nearly 1,000 feet high. The iconic latticework was made from 18,000 pieces of puddle iron and 2.5 million rivets. Eiffel personally inspected each piece to ensure it was prepared with accuracy of just 1/10 of a millimeter, according to reports.
Eiffel himself stayed in the top level of the tower, which had plush rugs and oil paintings, until the 1920s. The prestigious apartment was used to host guests like Thomas Edison, and is now open for public tours. Today, the Eiffel Tower is a must-see for any visitor to Paris, as it’s the focal point of New Year’s Eve and Bastille Day celebrations and offers spectacular views of the City of Lights.
The Statue of Liberty
If you are looking to add a touch of patriotism to your home décor, look no further than our stunning collection of prints featuring the Statue of Liberty. Located on New York’s Liberty Island, this iconic symbol of freedom was gifted to America by France in 1886 and stands tall at over 300 feet. The awe-inspiring statue is modeled after the Roman goddess Libertas, and she carries a torch and a tablet inscribed with the date of America’s independence as well as broken chains. She represents the hopes of countless immigrants who have come to this great country, “yet yearning to breathe free” as Emma Lazarus so artfully put it.
The Empire State Building
When people think of wall art, they often picture oil paintings. However, there is also another type of art that can have a big impact on a room: prints. In the art world, a print is a reproduction of an original artwork that has been created in another medium, such as painting, sculpture, or photography.
The 102-story Empire State Building is perhaps one of the most famous skyscrapers in the world. It is a New York City landmark that has become synonymous with American success. This iconic skyscraper is located in Midtown Manhattan at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. It was built between 1930 and 1931. The building got its name from the nickname of the state of New York. It was designed by the architectural firm Shreve, Lamb & Harmon.
At the time of its construction, the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world. It held this distinction until it was surpassed by the World Trade Center in 1972.
The Empire State Building is a popular attraction that attracts millions of visitors each year. The tower offers both indoor and outdoor observatories, and its 86th-floor observation deck has been the site of several wedding ceremonies. It has also appeared in many romantic films, such as Love Affair (1939) and its remake, An Affair to Remember. It was even featured in the 1933 film King Kong, which featured a large-than-life gorilla climbing the building.
The Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal ( /tadghl, ta-dgl, or ; also known as the Crown of Palace) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to house the tombs of his wife Mumtaz Mahal and their son. It is one of the most famous structures in India, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is considered a symbol of love by many, and is often described as a “moonlight garden” or a “crown of diamonds.”
The main structure contains two cenotaphs of Shah Jahan and his wife, which are flanked by four tall minarets. Each minaret is designed with a distinct outward lean, a feature which is intended to balance the Taj’s symmetry with its surrounding buildings and gardens. The exterior of the Taj is decorated with inlaid semi-precious stones, carvings, and Koranic verse in calligraphy.
It is said that Emperor Shah Jahan not only wanted The Taj to be a monument of love, but that it should also stand as a symbol of solemnity, harmony, purity and spirituality. The Taj has become a cherished symbol of the Hindu religion, and many couples visit it to get married or celebrate their marriage anniversary.
Because of its worldwide fame and popularity, the Taj Mahal receives millions of visitors every year. This huge influx of tourists can cause damage to the mausoleum and its grounds. For example, air pollution from nearby factories and motor vehicles can discolor the white marble facade. In an effort to protect the monument, the Supreme Court of India has instituted a series of environmental protection measures, and industrial development has been banned in the area.
The Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a world famous landmark that spans the bay between San Francisco and Marin County. It was built in 1937 and is considered one of the Wonders of the Modern World. It is known for its beautiful color and design and has become a symbol of friendship and love between the United States and Japan.
The bridge was built as part of the Works Progress Administration project, which helped power America’s economic recovery in the 1930s. Ray Strong’s painting depicts the bridge under construction and highlights the immense scale of this engineering feat. Tugboats and freighters sail through the deep blue waters, typifying the busy shipping that would pass beneath the Golden Gate Bridge once it was completed. The construction of the bridge was also a spectacle that was enthusiastically reported in sober business journals, popular picture magazines, and newsreels.
Irving Morrow, the consulting architect for the bridge project, utilized Art Deco styling to add aesthetic touches to the bridge’s concrete pylons. This style is reflected in the round lights on the street lamps and railings as well as in the stepped brackets of the horizontal struts. The chevron shape of the bridge’s towers is another example of this Art Deco styling.
Thomas Kinkade was fascinated with the Golden Gate Bridge and painted it several times. In Sunset on Golden Gate Bridge, the artist captured the bridge at sunset, a common motif in his work. Sailboats are another recurring motif in Kinkade’s paintings, which symbolize both adventure and the rewards of perseverance.
