Has it really been two months since I posted a Chicago Photo? Wow, time flies when you're broke and sitting at home. Well not broke (don't worry Mom I'm not eating Ramen noodles just yet) but cash flow impaired. Yeah that sounds about right.
I dragged my but out of bed last Saturday and headed down to Grant Park for the satellite broadcast of the Stewart/Colbert Rally to Restore Sanity. It wasn't too bad at first, funny signs, relaxed easy going crowd. They played the first 10 minutes or so of Stewart's monologue before switching over to local speakers.
First the Progressive Party, then some Mitch Hedburg wannabe comedian who closed his act comparing abortion to making a sandwich (which the crowd booed, which brought a security guard to the mike who cursed out the crowd), then someone dressed as FDR and I finally left when the immigration guy started speaking.
I didn't go to hear a bunch of local politicians spout their agenda, I kind of went for the exact opposite. So I wandered around the rest of the park, snapping some photo of Buckingham Fountain before heading back to the train.
That's where this photo came from. He is one of the two indians that guard the Congress Drive entrance to the park. I believe this one is called The Bowman. An almost identical statue is across the street and is the Spearman.
Erected in 1928, and standing 17 feet above the street, these twin bronze statues present a rather dramatic scene set against the blue sky and park behind them. Walking from the park back to downtown they get a little lost in the buildings behind them, but up close it's nice to admire the details crafted by Ivan Mestrovic.
If you notice, the proud Indian is posed as if drawing the string back on his bow, yet there is no bow. At first I thought that over time the bow had broken and never been replaced, but my in depth research (upwards of 6 minutes!) indicates that Mestrovic intentionally left the weapon out of the sculpture.
Grant Park is full of statues and memorials, and makes for a nice place to wander around on a mild fall day. Oh and it's free!
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