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The Great Britain Guide

Public art & sculpture · London

Physical Energy

Physical Energy in England London, United Kingdom.

GOC London Public Art 2 179 Physical Energy (33853786158)

Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence

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Typical visit
1 h–2 h

About

Physical Energy is a public sculpture in England London, United Kingdom, dating from 1907. Britain's public art ranges from Henry Moore reclining figures and Anthony Gormley installations to the Angel of the North and the surviving statues of empire.

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From the Wikipedia article

Physical Energy is a bronze equestrian statue by the English artist George Frederic Watts. Watts was principally a painter, but also worked on sculptures from the 1870s. Physical Energy was first cast in 1902, two years before his death, and was intended to be Watts's memorial to "unknown worth". Watts said it was a symbol of "that restless physical impulse to seek the still unachieved in the domain of material things". The original plaster maquette is at the Watts Gallery, and there are four full-size bronze casts: one in London, one in Cape Town, one in Harare and one that will be sited at Watts Gallery – Artists' Village in Compton, Surrey. Other smaller bronze casts were also made after Watts's death.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The sculpture is based on Watts's earlier colossal bronze equestrian statue of Hugh Lupus, 1st Earl of Chester, commissioned in 1870 by his namesake Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, later 1st Duke of Westminster. The earlier work was completed in 1883-1884 and displayed at Eaton Hall, Cheshire. That statue was itself based on equestrian elements of the Elgin Marbles. Watts started work on Physical Energy in the early 1880s. The original 3.5 ton gesso grosso model (made of plaster mixed with glue size and hemp or tow) is at the Watts Gallery at Compton near Guildford. He was assisted by George Thompson and Louis Deuchars. The sculpture depicts a nude male figure on a rearing horse, set on a rectangular…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
51.5068, -0.1783
Established
1907

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Physical Energy?
Physical Energy is in London, in the United Kingdom — coordinates 51.5068°, -0.1783°.
When was Physical Energy built?
Physical Energy dates to 1907.