A sculpture of Abraham Lincoln with a crumbling base showing him holding his head in his hand has won first-place at the 23rd annual Texas SandFest. The Texas Sandfest is the biggest sand sculpture competition in the United States and usually attracts tens-of-thousands of spectators from across the country.
The sculpture known as 'Liberty Crumbling' was created by artist Damon Langlois and is a take on the famous Lincoln Memorial sculpture in Washington D.C. that shows the 16th president of the United States sitting in a chair. The clear intention behind the sculpture is to show that American liberty has been damaged by the recent events within the country, and to suggest that Lincoln would be appalled by the direction the US has taken in recent years.
Despite the obvious political motivations, Langlois says that the sculpture should be seen as a statement for all of those who believe in liberty, and that it shouldn't be taken simply as an anti-Trump work of art. He stated:
"It's not really a partisan statement since it affects everyone who believes in freedom. I think this is why the sculpture had such broad appeal. No matter who you vote for you probably feel this in some way."
Speaking of how he constructed the sculpture over four days, he said:
"It took one full day to make 'the pound-up', which is sand compacted into wooden forms with lots and lots of water. The time pressure is immense and I just barely finished the sculpture, working up until the last second!"
Langlois himself has been working with sand as a medium for over 30 years. He added:
"Back then it [sand sculpting] was a much different scene. Let's just say there were a lot more shovelers than artists. I enjoy its intense nature, both physically and mentally. It combines illusion, artistry, engineering, perseverance, and character. A sand sculptor accepts the ephemeral nature of their work and does it for the act of doing it. Nothing is forever."
The United States is perhaps now more divided than it has been in decades, though most historians would argue that it is not more divided than it was in the time of Lincoln, who after being elected President, in 1861 engaged in a war with the southern states who wished to separate from the union and establish their own Confederate States of America. The CSA wished to establish their own nation as the union sought to outlaw slavery across the whole of the US. Shortly after winning the civil war, Lincoln was shot by actor James Wilkes Booth during a theatre performance in 1865. Poll after poll of Americans has shown that to this day Lincoln is regarded as the greatest President of all time.
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