“Government of the People” is located in front of the Municipal Services Building in Philadelphia. A piece by Jacques Lipchitz it was dedicated in 1976. It seeks to portray the artist’s ideas regarding the struggle for freedom and the push to ensure democracy
Lipchitz (1891-1973) was a Lithuanian. In 1909 he moved to Paris to study at the École des Beaux-Arts and the Académie Julian and fell into the art scene there with such notables as Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and Juan Gris He was recognized as the most significant ‘Cubist’ sculptor of his time. His work was widely viewed as more rounded in form than traditional cubists and it portrayed his interests in myths, epic tales and religious symbolism.
According to the official description this sculpture bears resemblance to a “conglomeration” of human forms. From the base of the statue to the very top, one sees a number of elements: a family group (parents and child), a young couple and an older couple. Each element represents the building blocks of humanity and each phase of their progress through life. Each block builds on the other and implies a process of struggle, support and dedication, and achievement.
Not a beautiful, but interesting, sculpture. Well-captured!