CITY DAILY PHOTO JUNE THEME - SKY

 

The monumental statue of Saint Louis atop Art Hill, looking out over clouds and blue sky. There is even a rainbow towards the bottom.  

The collection of CDP skygazers is at https://citydailyphoto.org/2026/05/25/june-theme-sky/                        

ST. LOUIS PUBLIC SCULPTURE - CHUCK BERRY

 

Chuck Berry is a native St. Louisan. In his later years he lived with family in a compound on the edge of the area. He frequently performed in a small space in the basement of locally famous Blueberry Hill, a bar and restaurant across the street from this statue. The performance venue was known as The Duck Room, after Berry's signature walk.

This is another work by Harry Weber. I knew him slightly since he asked to use my picture of another of his statues (see tomorrow) in a book about his stuff. He said he would send me a copy of the book. He didn't. Nobody ever does. (Talking about you, Museum  of Modern Art.) What Weber did do is get me into the private reception for Berry at Blueberry Hill, resulting in this picture - https://tinyurl.com/cdce9hhh .               

NOT THE PAINTER

 

Back into the Lafayette Square images. We are expecting a significant ice and snow storm from tonight into Monday morning, followed by bitter cold (by our standards). Won’t be on the street for a bit.

When you walk into the park from one of the corners you are confronted with this imposing, pompous statue. A few people walked up to the base and I asked them about the small black plaque on the base. They said it referred to Thomas Hart Benton. "Oh,”I said. “The famous painter of the Midwest and the Mississippi River.” But what about the inscription on the pedestal? Turns out this THB is a Missouri politician, one of our original senators when we entered the union in 1820. The painter is his great great grand nephew.

The inscription on the pedestal is still very strange.     

CRY

 

Again, no energy to go out and shoot so pulling from the archives. It rained all day yesterday anyway. The statue is in front of the St. Louis Planetarium, and so is probably looking to the stars. Still…   

Mrs. C and I are going to the symphony this afternoon. It seems appropriate that we are hearing the Mozart Requiem.

            

SACRIFICE

Soldiers Memorial, downtown St. Louis. Is the muscle-bound horse protecting the mother and child or leaving them behind as it goes off to war? Probably the latter. I'm not sure if I think it's sincere, melodramatic or creepy. Our feelings about wars--and wars themselves--aren't the same as 85 years ago when this was built. 

WELL, BACK IN LONDON

With the American elections just over a week away, Mrs. C encouraged me to post this picture of a statue of the Bard located in Leicester Square. Um, conspiracy theorists? Enemies of democracy? (Recall that another Englishman, Mr. Churchill, said that democracy is the worst form of government ever invented, except for all the others.)

We might also think of the sentence the playwright gave Puck, What fools these mortals be.             

TIME TO COME HOME AND LOOK AT A GIANT STEEL PRAYING MANTIS

There are more pix from London that I should edit but it's time to come home. (London album at https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobcrowe/albums/72177720302907668 with more to add.)  Two days after we returned Ellie had a fall break four day weekend. We took her to STL's unique, wacky City Museum. The uppermost roof deck is topped with a huge metal praying mantis. After all, why not.        

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF FREMONT

Seattle has its curiosities. Prominent among them is a 16 foot tall bronze statue of Vladimir Lenin in the quirky Fremont neighborhood. Why and how if got there is a complicated story, set out in detail on Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Lenin_(Seattle). It is obviously controversial, often vandalized, often decorated for special occasions and usually with red paint on the hands symbolizing Lenin's bloody career. 

Some people have strenuously objected to it but it is privately owned and on private land. The city can do nothing about it. I can only imagine  what would happen if something like this appeared in St. Louis, even in our funkiest neighborhoods. The howls would be deafening.               

I SUPPOSE I SHOULD MAKE IT CLEAR THAT I'M HOME

I keep playing with the infrared, though. Louis never dreamed of a world like this.                 

BIRTH OF THE COOL

Another statue of a native of Alton, Illinois, Miles Davis. One of the giants of jazz came from this bit of a backwater, although he didn't stay long. It's a wonderful statue, showing him with his spine arched backward, so often his posture in intense passages.  

The caption comes from an early album of the same name (an example at https://youtu.be/KcoqwKEtYDs). I became acquainted with Davis when his style turned to jazz-rock fusion in the powerful Jack Johnson of 1971, https://youtu.be/DEBKksupBVA. A glance at the album cover on Youtube will show you where the statue's posture came from.           

SATURDAY AND MONDAY

From Saturday's demonstration at the statue of Louis IX in front of the art museum. It strikes me that "loser" is Trump rhetoric. And, of course, there are two sides to every story. If interested, see his bio on Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_IX_of_France. There is much to say on his behalf. You decide. I don't have a dog in this fight. I've been a recovering Catholic for a long time.

I drove by the site late yesterday afternoon to see what was up. The pedestal had been cleaned. No one was there.

              

CHUCK BERRY MATTERS

Chuck Berry, sometimes called the father of rock and roll, was born in St. Louis and lived here most of his life. We got to hear him play a few times. Even though my interest in popular music declined through the years (I mostly like unpopular music now), it was always a joy to hear him perform. He often played, sometimes unexpectedly, at a bar and restaurant in The Loop called Blueberry Hill. A statue was erected in his honor in 2011 across the street. I was acquainted with the sculptor. After the dedication, he got me into Blueberry Hill for the party. I got a decent close up of the great musician, https://tinyurl.com/ybndyrot . 

Berry died in 2017. I think he would have approved of the sign.         

NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE

A statue of justice in front of one of the downtown courthouses. That's not just shadow - it is dirty and wet. How will we, as a nation, clean it?         

WHO PUT THE LOU IN THE LOU

It can be hard to find material at this time of year. I rarely have an opportunity to shoot during the work week. Few outdoor events and I can get my fill of outlandish Christmas decorations quickly. Sometimes I circle around to old haunts to check if there is anything new to see.

So back to The Apotheosis of St. Louis, the grand equestrian statue of King Louis IX of France that stands in front of the art museum and looks down over Forest Park. It's all about the light here. I've shot it many times before but like Siddhartha and the river, you never look at the same sky twice.

The nicest thing happened to me after I shot this picture. A middle aged man walked up to me and said, "Are you Bob?" "Hi," I replied. "yes, I'm Bob Crowe." "I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your blog," he went on. "I look at it almost every day and it gives me a lot of pleasure." "Wow, thank you," I said. "I'm delighted you enjoy it. And what's your name?" "Jim," he said with a little smile, and then was off on his way.

Sigh.             

Hail, Hail Rock n' Roll

The statue of St. Louisan Chuck Berry along the Delmar Loop. He doesn't care how cold it is. He keeps rockin' day and night, every day of the year. Note how carefully made the work is, with all the weight perfectly balanced on one forefoot.

The statue is across the street from the locally renowned Blueberry Hill. It is a restaurant, bar and music venue. Downstairs there is a performance space named the Duck Room, named after Berry's signature walk. He played there a lot. I am casually acquainted with the sculptor, Harry Webber, who got me into the place after the dedication of the statue. That's when I got this picture.       

Frozen Chuck

I don't remember the exact temperature but it was really cold (for us) when I visited the ice carnival. Walking by the statue of St. Louis' Chuck Berry across the street from Blueberry Hill, where he performed regularly until he died last year, I couldn't help but think how frigid the bronze was. The man himself was a complete contrast.

I never met Berry as such but I attended the dedication of the statue in 2011. A casual acquaintance with the sculptor, Harry Weber, got me into the room at Blueberry Hill where Chuck was hanging out. That got me this picture, one of my all-time favorites.

Mrs. C and I are attending a fundraiser later today for Senator Claire McCaskill, who is up for reelection this year in this red-leaning state. We need her. Hope I get a couple of pictures while I'm at it.    

Faces Of Statues In The Rain: Cardinal Greats

There were two votes to continue this series and none opposed. Onward, then.

Two more members of the Cardinals' pantheon. They were active recently enough that I saw them play. 

The first is Ozzie Smith, one of the greatest shortstops ever to take the field. His athleticism was so magical, the catches he made so improbable, that he was known as The Wizard. Every year at the opening home game he would go to his position and do a standing back flip. I saw it, more than once. 

The second is Lou Brock, one of the finest base stealers there ever was. (Non-baseball fans and non-Americans: move along. There's nothing to see here.) Look at the intense gaze, watching the pitcher's motion, the catcher and the batter from his own team. When the moment was right, he would zoom from first to second base before his opponents could catch him.          

Faces Of Statues In The Rain: Meeting Of The Waters 3

Two days without a post. That's rare for me. New dimensions in overwork (well, not so new) and computer problems. At least the latter issue is solved. We had freezing drizzle most of yesterday so it was time to stay indoors and catch up. 

Another nice piece from the Milles Fountain. The figure looks like she might be squirting shampoo on her hair but it's just a fish. The whole grouping is on river themes. The pipe sticking out of its mouth is a water jet, now off for the winter.  

Faces Of Statues In The Rain: Bob Gibson

Another dripping chin and pair of intense eyes: Bob Gibson, perhaps the greatest pitcher in the history of the Cardinals, although there is some serious competition. (Remember that Dean guy a few days ago?) One of our New England CDP colleagues has already complained about the job he did on the Boston Red Sox in the 1967 World Series. Gee, I would have been a freshman at St. Louis University that fall and I dont remember it. I do remember him in Game 5 of the 1964 World Series against the New York Yankees. My father somehow got tickets for my brother and me. I was a rabid Yankees fan and cursed the Cardinals' win. Little did I realize . . .       

Faces Of Statues In The Rain: Meeting Of The Waters 2

I don't know the meaning of each of the individual statues that make up The Meeting Of The Waters. This one has always been striking. The hair looks like feathers, parted perfectly to peek through with those intense eyes.