User:Davidlee928/sandbox



Context The Sir Peter Nicol Russell Monument located at the entrance of Peter Nicol Russell Building in University of Sydney is a duplicate of the Russell’s St Marylebone Cemetery memorial, presented to the University by Dame Charlotte Russell. It was originally sculptured by Sir Edgar Bertam Mackennal and is bronze figures on granite base sculpture. When Russell passed away back in 1905, his wife had presented the replica of the monument to the university after the Peter Nicol Russell Building was opened.

Purpose This sculpture was erected to retain the name of the great benefactor who’s generosity played a significant role in the founding of the Peter Nicol Russell School of Engineering at University of Sydney, the new building that was opened in 1909. This was due to the endowments totalling £100,000 for Engineering at University of Sydney that led to the facility now known as the Peter Nicol Russell School of Engineering. This sculpture was indeed very fitting for the courtyard of School of Engineering in which it was erected at as Russell himself was a ironfounder that operated the Kirkcaldy Foundary and Engineering Works which was very well known throughout Sydney Australia back in 1850’s. After his passing, Russell’s wife had presented the sculpture to the university to not only retain the name of the benefactor but to inspire the future generation.

Author The original monument was sculpted by Sir Bertam Mackennal who was the most significant Australian sculptor of the nineteenth and earth twentieth centuries born in Melbourne in 1863. Mackennal and Russell were both very similar in regards to their contribution and reputation in their own line of work in Australia. Judging by the material Mackennal had used, the style of the sculpture which is bronze on granite base is befitting to represent the theme of ironfoundary and engineering which was a major aspect to Russell’s life. Furthermore the sculpture itself speaks effectively to the intended audience as the sculpture consists of a person (most likely Russell in his early days) holding a hammer and an anvil which are tools commonly used in iron foundaries to produce iron casts. The audience can then easily relate those features to the theme intended by the author to remind the audience the important aspect of Russell’s life and legacy he left behind. This is because the original sculpture was erected in St Marylebone Cemetery to honour Russell after his death as a memorial piece. However it also speaks effectively to the unintended audience as the use of the hammer, anvil and the angel figure can be used to symbolise various themes such as creation, destruction and death. Audience Thus, the intended audience of the sculpture are for those who commemorate Russell’s work that he did as a Ironfoundary that came to visit the burial site in the cemetery. However the secondary audience may be the students of University of Sydney. The text The medium of the sculpture consisted of granite and bronze and the main idea that is being conveyed is engineering. The mode that is used to convey this idea are all visual as it in in the form of a sculpture located in School of Engineering which can be very accessible to everyone that visits University of Sydney. Since Sir Nicol Russell and Sir Edgar Bertam Mackennal are both very well-known figure back in their times, there are various documented historical accounts which support the work of both Russell and Mackennal. As mentioned before features of the sculpture such as the hammer, anvil and the angel conveys ideas and messages to its audience. It does this through the use of imageries of the hammer, anvil and the angel. Hammer and an anvil which are tools used in forming iron casts may form mental images of creation, destruction and manipulation of materials which can be closely correlated to the theme of engineering. While the angel which seems to be situated along with the figure holding those tools look as if it is guided by the angel itself. This may convey a message of Russell’s work being guided by a higher power for a good cause. It is the positioning of the angel that plays a crucial role in conveying such message to its audience. Conclusion Overall, the personal experience of the text was through visual recognition of the sculpture through perception. Furthermore the location of the sculpture played a major role in my own personal perception of the sculpture due to environment and scenery as it was located at the entrance of the School of Engineering at the university. This allowed a close connection to the author and also the person of subject who was Sir Peter Nicol Russell. The sculpture had successfully conveyed various aspects of Russell’s life such as engineering and ironfoundary and had told a unique story of Russell’s life through visual perception rather than written text.