View allAll Photos Tagged USCapitolBuilding
Lincoln was elected U.S. president on November 6, 1860 and South Carolina seceded from the Union on December 20, 1860, the first to do so, and formed a new nation called the Confederate States of America.. It was also the site where the Civil War actually began with the attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861.
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Eerie sunrise this morning with troops surrounding the U.S. Capitol Building. But the sun rises again and hopefully (!) peace and decency will soon be restored.
A NASA T-38 training jet is seen as it flies over Washington, DC, Thursday, April 5, 2012. NASA, in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration, conducted training and photographic flights over the DC metropolitan area. T-38 aircraft have been used for astronaut training for more than 30 years as they allow pilots and mission specialists to think quickly in changing situations, mental experiences the astronauts say are critical to practicing for the rigors of spaceflight. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)
The United States Capitol serves as the seat of government for the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. It is located in Washington, D.C., on top of Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall.
This shot was taken from the National Mall at 4th Street. The camera is pointed due east, facing the Capitol's "west front."
Photo by Kevin Borland. Portions of text derived from Wikipedia.
If you enjoy my photographs, I invite you to listen to my music as well. Follow this link to visit SPEED LIMIT MUSIC on Pinterest.
This view of the US Capitol building taken from the Newseum overlooks the Canadian Embassy.
I fear today's Super Tuesday primaries will pretty much decide who our options will be for our next President. I have never felt more uncertain in casting a vote in my life.
I hope some of you can see a ray of hope because I sure don't.
• Parts: 36,800+ (~1,130 unique)
• 📐 Scale: 1:650
• 📏 Dimensions: 32in x 51in (80cm x 130cm)
• 📚 Research, Design + Build Time: 4 months
• Photography: James Vitullo 📷
• ©️ MMXXIV - Rocco Buttliere, LLC
___________________________________
During a brief stint in Washington D.C. in 2023, I spent the better part of a summer evening exploring the grounds of Capitol Hill. Few landscapes invite as much inquiry along winding paths paired with plenty of moments for quiet introspection on marble benches; all in picturesque view of the Capitol dome. These on-site experiences are exactly the form of anecdotal justification I seek when considering whether to recreate such monumental places in the first place.
In tackling any work of such storied precedence as the US Capitol, I always seek to expand the conversation beyond existing works in the medium of plastic bricks. While the consistent 1:650 scale among my works has always ensured some level of originality, it is no guarantee of further insight that cannot already be gleaned from existing works by other artists. With this in mind, I set out to capture the full 100-acre site currently maintained by The Architect of the Capitol. What's more, the diorama depicts a particular time of year - specifically late March to early April - as illustrated by the iconic presence of hundreds of cherry blossoms rendered in two shades of light pink.
The diorama starts downhill at the trapezoidal Capitol Reflecting Pool, with the Grant Memorial taking pride of place along its eastern edge and the US Botanic Garden across the street to the south. The diorama expands from there, capturing the radiating pathways meandering uphill, as designed by Frederick Law Olmsted within the parcels laid out in the city plan by Pierre Charles L'Enfant. The piece culminates with the widely imitated US Capitol Building, perched atop a plinth projecting from the Capitol Visitor Center on the opposite side.
Topping everything off is a custom-made representation of the Statue of Freedom (as designed by Thomas Crawford), steadfastly overlooking the National Mall from atop the dome. The statue was designed in collaboration with BigKidBrix and was sized comparably to the minifigure statuette / trophy element.
The piece was designed over the course of about two months: first in December 2023 through January 2024, paused during the build-out of SPQR - Phase II, then resumed between March and April. The build-out lasted from July through August and was completed by September. The piece will soon be added to my personal gallery of works, now available for touring exhibitions.
#Artist #SupportArtists #FineArt #SmallBusiness #SmallBusinessOwner #ChicagoArtist #LEGO #LEGOArchitecture #LEGOArt #LEGOArtist #InstaLEGO #GoBricks #USCapitol #USCapitolBuilding #CapitolHill #WashingtonDC #ArchitectOfTheCapitol #America #USA #Diorama #AmericanHistory
The photo is by Alexander Gardner and is in Library of Congress' Prints & Photographs Collection. John Wilkes Booth, President Lincoln's assassin, is said to be in the photograph. Booth is visible on the raised platform to Lincoln's left, in the top row, right of center. The photo was taken just one month before the President's assassination at Ford's Theater on April 14, 1865.
View of US Capitol Building from Louisiana Avenue between North Capitol Street and D Street, NW, Washington DC on Monday afternoon, 18 January 2021 by Elvert Barnes Photography
US CAPITOL POLICE
Elvert Barnes COVID 19 Pandemic Part 5 New Year 2021 docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/CV19NewYear2021
Elvert Barnes Monday afternoon, 18 January 2021 In Preparation of 59th Presidential Inauguration US Capitol Complex docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/18January2021
Published at voi.id/en/news/241273
The United States Capitol, located on top of Capitol Hill at the east end of the National Mall, serves as the seat of government for the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. Designed by a succession of architects, the neoclassical building is marked by its dome above a rotunda and two wings, one for each chamber of Congress: the north wing is the Senate chamber and the south wing is the House of Representatives chamber. With but one brief interruption, the Capitol has housed the legislative chambers of the U.S. Congress since 1800, and housed the U.S. Supreme Court from 1800 until 1935. Presidential inaugurations are traditionally held here, the physical symbol of the United States of America.
When Pierre Charles L'Enfant planned the city, he chose Jenkins Hill, which rose 88 feet above the Potomac River, as the site for the new Capitol Building. The following year, a public design competition was held and amateur architect, William Thornton, inspired by the east front of the Louvre and the Roman Pantheon, was selected by Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. Execution was entrusted to Étienne Sulpice (Stephen) Hallet, a runner up in the competition, under the supervision of James Hoban. The cornerstone was laid by Washington on September 18, 1793. In 1795, Jefferson, vocal in his preference for Thornton's classical design, dismissed Hallet and George Hadfield was hired as superintendent of construction, only to resign three years later. In 1803, Benjamin Latrobe replaced him as Architect of the Capitoland, against his protestations, saw Thornton's design to near fruition.
The Capitol held its first session of United States Congress on November 17, 1800 in a then unfinished building. The Senate wing was completed that year, and the House of Representative wing was completed in 1811. In August 1814, the Capitol was partially burned by the British during the War of 1812. Reconstruction began under Latrobe, who was given more latitude to make alterations, in 1815 completed by 1819. Under Charles Bulfinch, who took over as Architect of the Capitol in 1918, construction continued through to 1826, with the addition of the center Rotunda area and the first dome of the Capitol.
The building was expanded dramatically in the 1850's under Thomas U. Walter, who was responsible for the wing extensions and the new "wedding cake" cast-iron dome, three times the height of the original dome and 100 feet (30 m) in diameter, which had to be supported on the existing masonry piers. The double dome consists of a large oculus in the inner dome, through which is seen The Apotheosis of Washington painted on a shell suspended from the supporting ribs, which also support the visible exterior structure and the tholos that supports the Freedom, a colossal statue that was added to the top of the dome in 1863. The weight of the cast-iron for the dome has been published as 8,909,200 pounds.
When the dome was finally completed, it was significantly larger than the original plan, and its massive visual weight overpowered the proportions of the columns of the East Portico. The East Front was rebuilt in 1904, following a design of Carrère and Hastings. A marble duplicate of the sandstone East Front was built 33.5 feet from the old Front during 1958-1962, and a connecting extension incorporated what formerly was an outside wall as an inside wall. In the process, the Corinthian columns were removed, and landscape designer Russell Page created a suitable setting for them in a large meadow at the National Arboretum, where they are combined with a reflecting'>reflecting pool.
The current Capitol Grounds, cover approximately 274 acres, were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who planned the expansion and landscaping performed from 1874 to 1892. In 1875, as one of his first recommendations, Olmsted proposed the construction of the marble terraces on the north, west, and south sides of the building that exist today.
In 2007, the U.S. Capitol was ranked #6 on the AIA 150 America's Favorite Architecture list.
National Register #19600002
by our 'elected' representatives - the frustration can be lessened, the anger forgotten, by the ardent embrace of a tango partner.
...of course, if you don't vote, you don't count...
Justice and History
•By Thomas Crawford (1813/1814-1857)
•Marble, Modeled 1855-1856, Carved ca. 1858-1860
•Overall Measurement
oHeight: 46 inches (116.8 cm)
oWidth: 134 inches (340.4 cm)
oDepth: 26 inches (66 cm)
•Unsigned
•Credit Line: U.S. Senate Collection
•Cat. no. 25.00002.000
When the Capitol building was transformed by the grand architectural extension and new dome designed by Thomas U. Walter in the 1850s, only Constantino Brumidi was awarded more important commissions for its decoration than Thomas Crawford. Crawford was contracted to provide an enormous amount of sculpture for the building: bronze doors for the eastern entrances to the House and Senate wings, the marble pediment sculpture for the Senate wing and a statuary group for the main Senate entrance, and, ultimately, the pinnacle of the entire Capitol, the bronze Statue of Freedom atop the dome. (For his many contributions to the Capitol, Crawford is memorialized with a bust, displayed in the Senate wing.)
Crawford had been apprenticed to a wood carver at the age of 14. By about 1832, he was employed by the prominent New York stone-cutting firm operated by John Frazee and Robert Launitz. There he was assigned the customary work on gravestones and mantelpieces and assisted in the execution of portrait busts. Crawford also enhanced his artistic development by sketching casts from the collection of the National Academy of Design. In 1835 he moved to Rome and became the first American sculptor to settle there permanently. Once in Rome, he gravitated quickly to the studio of Bertel Thorvaldsen, perhaps the most famous sculptor of his day. Thorvaldsen’s neoclassicism was the most important influence on Crawford. In 1839 Crawford gained widespread acclaim for his statue Orpheus, which led to numerous commissions for allegorical and mythological figures.
While construction of the Capitol extension was still under way, Montgomery Meigs, superintendent of the Capitol extension, was busily attending to the decorative commissions as well. In August 1853 he wrote to Crawford in Florence, principally about the pediment and doorway on the east front of the new Senate. “I do not see why,” he claimed, “a Republic so much richer than the Athenian should not rival the Parthenon in the front of its first public edifice.” Crawford responded at the end of October, describing his ideas for the pediment and for the two allegorical figures over the doorway—Justice and Liberty—and concluding, “My price for the whole of them is $20,000.” The offer was approved by Jefferson Davis, secretary of war, and accepted by Meigs in a letter of November 30, 1853. In the initial design, Liberty wore a pileus, the cap worn by freed slaves in ancient Rome, and Justice held a bundle of rods and an ax, Roman symbols of authority. Jefferson Davis was satisfied with the overall design, but he objected to the symbolic Roman elements, which he felt were inappropriate iconography for America. Both Meigs and Davis asked Crawford to change some of the details but to maintain the basic composition. Crawford agreed. “I have changed the Liberty into a figure of History (and thus avid [sic] the ‘cap’),” he responded to Meigs. In July 1860, Crawford was paid the agreed-upon price of $3,000 for “modelling in plaster and cutting in marble Statues of ‘Justice and History’ including marble.”
Of all the sculptural projects awarded to Crawford for the new extension, Justice and History seems to have been almost an afterthought. First conceived (by Meigs) as a relief sculpture, it became not only the subject of disagreement over the symbolic attributes but also part of an ongoing gentlemanly controversy over whether it and the other sculptures should be carved (or, if bronze, cast) in Europe or America. In addition, it was continuously postponed in favor of larger, clearly more significant projects. The planned placement of the figures was not very advantageous. Perched on a cap supported by massive brackets above the bronze door of the Senate wing, east portico, with their heads overlapping the windowsill behind them, they lacked a proper stage. Their back-to-back reclining position suggested a placement within a small tympanum, but no such framing element was provided.
Allegorical figures were certainly not new in American sculpture, and neoclassicism was the favored “high” style among academically trained European and American sculptors. For many viewers, the classical style embodied a rigorous intellectual and moral integrity that suited the ideals of the new republic. But there was in the young country only a small, classically educated audience for the allegorical content. If simple enough, it was acceptable, but sometimes allegory failed, as with the notoriously negative public reaction to Horatio Greenough’s colossal half-nude statue of George Washington, which prompted Meigs to caution Crawford in a 1853 letter:
Permit me to say that the sculpture sent here by our artists is not altogether adapted to the taste of our people. We are not able to appreciate too refined and intricate allegorical representations, and while the naked Washington of Greenough is the theme of admiration to the few scholars, it is unsparingly denounced by the less refined multitude. Cannot sculpture be so designed as to please both? In this would be the triumph of the artist whose works should appeal not to a class but to mankind.
Clearly this is not a condescending attitude, for Meigs was determined that the Capitol and its decoration should be admired by the “less refined multitude.” He gave Constantino Brumidi the painter more leeway in the matter of allegory than he was willing to allow Crawford the sculptor, perhaps because sculpture principally adorned the exterior of the building and thus was seen by more people. It was the large, multi-figure pediment that most preoccupied both Meigs and Crawford in this discussion, and Crawford proved quite amenable to satisfying Meigs’s concerns: “I fully agree with you regarding the necessity of producing a work intelligible to our entire population. The darkness of allegory must give place to common sense.” What applied to the pediment applied as well to Justice and History. The simplified allegories of book, globe, scales, and scroll, certainly, were clear to the multitude and easily appreciated.
The completion of Justice and History was long delayed. A year after the contract was concluded, Crawford had done no more than send sketches to Washington, and on December 13, 1854, he asked Meigs’s permission to postpone modeling them until the dimensions of the doorway had been firmly decided. On June 10, 1855, he wrote that he would “immediately proceed with the group.” By November, the figures were apparently in process, though not complete, and on May 21, 1856, he reported to Meigs that the models were entirely finished. Now he was awaiting approval or rejection of his request to have them carved in marble in Italy, where he could supervise the production. In a subsequent letter to Meigs, Crawford complained of a problem with his left eye. This illness, a tumor, rapidly worsened, and over the next months, although he was able to do some finishing work on his colossal model of Freedom for the Capitol dome, it was apparent that Crawford’s ability to sculpt was seriously affected.
A letter of April 1, 1857, from the ailing artist to Meigs, asked for an advance in order to buy the marble to carve the figures. Meigs, who “had supposed from [Crawford’s] former letters that they were underway,” nonetheless agreed to make the funds available. By then the cancer had spread to Crawford’s brain and, despite medical treatment in Paris and London, he died on October 10, 1857. Neither Justice nor History had been carved. Crawford had always urged Meigs to allow the carving of his marbles and the casting of his bronzes to be done in Rome. Meigs, on the other hand, had wanted them to be executed in the United States, to give native carvers and casters much-needed experience. Meigs prevailed for all of Crawford’s works but Justice and History.
Crawford’s widow, Louisa Crawford, who took over her husband’s business affairs after his death, asked Meigs to allow Justice and History to be carved from Carrara marble in Italy, in part because “there are no duplicates cast, and … if lost they are irretrievably gone.” Meigs relented, and the marbles were made in Italy between 1858 and 1860. The two pieces were shipped to the United States in 1860 and were kept in the former Hall of the House of Representatives until the exterior of the U.S. Capitol’s Senate extension was ready to receive it. It was installed three years later above the Senate entrance on the east front of the Capitol.
Meigs’s acquiescence on the carving location proved unfortunate, for of Crawford’s marble sculptures at the Capitol, only Justice and History deteriorated severely, eroded by the elements. By the mid-20th century, the head of History and the face of Justice were nearly gone, and the figures were severely flaked and cracked. In 1974 they were removed and heavily restored with plaster to its appearance as documented in early photographs and then used as a model for the carving of a new marble replica; Francesco Tonelli of the Vermont Marble Company carved copies of the originals. Tonelli’s marble reproductions were installed in the original location above the Senate doorway later in 1774, and the repaired Justice and History was placed on display inside the Capitol in the ground floor extension to the Old Senate Wing outside the Old Supreme Court Vestibule.
More on Justice and History
In September 1850 Congress appropriated $100,000 for expansion of the United States Capitol. Philadelphia architect Thomas U. Walter was selected to design and construct the addition. In 1853 the project was transferred to the Army Corps of Engineers under the direction of Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. While Walter remained as architect, Montgomery C. Meigs, a 36-year-old captain in the Corps of Engineers, was named superintendent of the Capitol extension and placed in charge of the construction. Meigs believed that the extension should be decorated in a highly elaborate style to rival the great buildings of Europe, and he and Davis worked together to make the Capitol a showcase of the arts.
As part of that effort, Meigs asked artists Hiram Powers and Thomas Crawford to submit designs for sculpture for the new pediments planned for the Senate and House extensions and for the areas above the adjoining doorways. Crawford submitted a series of designs for the projects. For the Senate doorway, he proposed a grouping of two reclining female figures: Justice and Liberty. He received the commission, and in his final drawing he changed Liberty to History.
In Crawford’s Justice and History, Justice, the figure to the right, is half reclining and heavily draped like a Roman matron at a banquet. She supports a large tome with the words “Justice, Law, Order” and rests her right elbow on the visible portion of a globe draped with the stars and stripes. Her right hand holds the scales of justice, which lie loosely on the edge of the base, their chains slack. The History figure has long flowing hair crowned with a laurel wreath. She holds an open scroll, with the top draped over a plinth, on which the words “History July 1776” are inscribed. The overall length of the sculpture is 11 feet 2 inches.
The Sculptor
Thomas Crawford (1814-1857), also created the Statue of Freedom atop the dome, the designs of the House and Senate bronze doors, and the “Progress of Civilization” pediment sculpture over the east entrance to the Senate wing.
Below is taken from Wikipedia - The United States Capitol building is located on top of Capitol Hill at the east end of the National Mall. Officially, the east and west sides of the Capitol are referred to as "fronts". Historically, however, the east front was initially the side of the building intended for the arrival of visitors and dignitaries. The building is marked by its central dome above a rotunda and two wings, one for each chamber of Congress: the north wing is the Senate chamber and the south wing is the House of Representatives chamber. The statue on top of the dome is the Statue of Freedom.
US Capitol Complex North at Louisiana Avenue and D Street, NW, Washington DC on Monday afternoon, 18 January 2021 by Elvert Barnes Photography
US CAPITOL POLICE
Elvert Barnes COVID 19 Pandemic Part 5 New Year 2021 docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/CV19NewYear2021
Elvert Barnes Monday afternoon, 18 January 2021 In Preparation of 59th Presidential Inauguration US Capitol Complex docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/18January2021
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View of US Capitol Building from D Street at New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington DC on Monday afternoon, 18 January 2021 by Elvert Barnes Photography
NATIONAL GUARD
Elvert Barnes COVID 19 Pandemic Part 5 New Year 2021 docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/CV19NewYear2021
Elvert Barnes Monday afternoon, 18 January 2021 In Preparation of 59th Presidential Inauguration US Capitol Complex docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/18January2021
The US Capitol taken with a cloudy sunrise in the background. I return to this site monthly - always provides me with some inspiration! There was a bright flood light on the Capitol front lawn... I placed this behind the fellow on the horse. Made a subtle difference in this photo to have the front lawn illuminated at this early hour!
A U.S. Senate Staff member asks a question, via a live downlink, to NASA Astronaut Tom Marshburn onboard the International Space Station (ISS) during a NASA briefing with the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Tuesday, May 7, 2013, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Marshburn discussed the opportunities provided by the station’s unique microgravity environment. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The US Capitol Building and Washington Monument from across the Potomac along the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Arlington, Virginia.
Photo by Kevin Borland.
If you enjoy my photographs, I invite you to listen to my music as well. Follow this link to visit SPEED LIMIT MUSIC on Pinterest.
View of US Capitol Building from Louisiana Avenue between North Capitol Street and D Street, NW, Washington DC on Monday afternoon, 18 January 2021 by Elvert Barnes Photography
Elvert Barnes COVID 19 Pandemic Part 5 New Year 2021 docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/CV19NewYear2021
Elvert Barnes Monday afternoon, 18 January 2021 In Preparation of 59th Presidential Inauguration US Capitol Complex docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/18January2021
The United States Capitol, located on top of Capitol Hill at the east end of the National Mall, serves as the seat of government for the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. Designed by a succession of architects, the neoclassical building is marked by its dome above a rotunda and two wings, one for each chamber of Congress: the north wing is the Senate chamber and the south wing is the House of Representatives chamber. With but one brief interruption, the Capitol has housed the legislative chambers of the U.S. Congress since 1800, and housed the U.S. Supreme Court from 1800 until 1935. Presidential inaugurations are traditionally held here, the physical symbol of the United States of America.
When Pierre Charles L'Enfant planned the city, he chose Jenkins Hill, which rose 88 feet above the Potomac River, as the site for the new Capitol Building. The following year, a public design competition was held and amateur architect, William Thornton, inspired by the east front of the Louvre and the Roman Pantheon, was selected by Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. Execution was entrusted to Étienne Sulpice (Stephen) Hallet, a runner up in the competition, under the supervision of James Hoban. The cornerstone was laid by Washington on September 18, 1793. In 1795, Jefferson, vocal in his preference for Thornton's classical design, dismissed Hallet and George Hadfield was hired as superintendent of construction, only to resign three years later. In 1803, Benjamin Latrobe replaced him as Architect of the Capitoland, against his protestations, saw Thornton's design to near fruition.
The Capitol held its first session of United States Congress on November 17, 1800 in a then unfinished building. The Senate wing was completed that year, and the House of Representative wing was completed in 1811. In August 1814, the Capitol was partially burned by the British during the War of 1812. Reconstruction began under Latrobe, who was given more latitude to make alterations, in 1815 completed by 1819. Under Charles Bulfinch, who took over as Architect of the Capitol in 1918, construction continued through to 1826, with the addition of the center Rotunda area and the first dome of the Capitol.
The building was expanded dramatically in the 1850's under Thomas U. Walter, who was responsible for the wing extensions and the new "wedding cake" cast-iron dome, three times the height of the original dome and 100 feet (30 m) in diameter, which had to be supported on the existing masonry piers. The double dome consists of a large oculus in the inner dome, through which is seen The Apotheosis of Washington painted on a shell suspended from the supporting ribs, which also support the visible exterior structure and the tholos that supports the Freedom, a colossal statue that was added to the top of the dome in 1863. The weight of the cast-iron for the dome has been published as 8,909,200 pounds.
When the dome was finally completed, it was significantly larger than the original plan, and its massive visual weight overpowered the proportions of the columns of the East Portico. The East Front was rebuilt in 1904, following a design of Carrère and Hastings. A marble duplicate of the sandstone East Front was built 33.5 feet from the old Front during 1958-1962, and a connecting extension incorporated what formerly was an outside wall as an inside wall. In the process, the Corinthian columns were removed, and landscape designer Russell Page created a suitable setting for them in a large meadow at the National Arboretum, where they are combined with a reflecting'>reflecting pool.
The current Capitol Grounds, cover approximately 274 acres, were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who planned the expansion and landscaping performed from 1874 to 1892. In 1875, as one of his first recommendations, Olmsted proposed the construction of the marble terraces on the north, west, and south sides of the building that exist today.
In 2007, the U.S. Capitol was ranked #6 on the AIA 150 America's Favorite Architecture list.
National Register #19600002
• Parts: 36,800+ (~1,130 unique)
• 📐 Scale: 1:650
• 📏 Dimensions: 32in x 51in (80cm x 130cm)
• 📚 Research, Design + Build Time: 4 months
• Photography: James Vitullo 📷
• ©️ MMXXIV - Rocco Buttliere, LLC
___________________________________
During a brief stint in Washington D.C. in 2023, I spent the better part of a summer evening exploring the grounds of Capitol Hill. Few landscapes invite as much inquiry along winding paths paired with plenty of moments for quiet introspection on marble benches; all in picturesque view of the Capitol dome. These on-site experiences are exactly the form of anecdotal justification I seek when considering whether to recreate such monumental places in the first place.
In tackling any work of such storied precedence as the US Capitol, I always seek to expand the conversation beyond existing works in the medium of plastic bricks. While the consistent 1:650 scale among my works has always ensured some level of originality, it is no guarantee of further insight that cannot already be gleaned from existing works by other artists. With this in mind, I set out to capture the full 100-acre site currently maintained by The Architect of the Capitol. What's more, the diorama depicts a particular time of year - specifically late March to early April - as illustrated by the iconic presence of hundreds of cherry blossoms rendered in two shades of light pink.
The diorama starts downhill at the trapezoidal Capitol Reflecting Pool, with the Grant Memorial taking pride of place along its eastern edge and the US Botanic Garden across the street to the south. The diorama expands from there, capturing the radiating pathways meandering uphill, as designed by Frederick Law Olmsted within the parcels laid out in the city plan by Pierre Charles L'Enfant. The piece culminates with the widely imitated US Capitol Building, perched atop a plinth projecting from the Capitol Visitor Center on the opposite side.
Topping everything off is a custom-made representation of the Statue of Freedom (as designed by Thomas Crawford), steadfastly overlooking the National Mall from atop the dome. The statue was designed in collaboration with BigKidBrix and was sized comparably to the minifigure statuette / trophy element.
The piece was designed over the course of about two months: first in December 2023 through January 2024, paused during the build-out of SPQR - Phase II, then resumed between March and April. The build-out lasted from July through August and was completed by September. The piece will soon be added to my personal gallery of works, now available for touring exhibitions.
#Artist #SupportArtists #FineArt #SmallBusiness #SmallBusinessOwner #ChicagoArtist #LEGO #LEGOArchitecture #LEGOArt #LEGOArtist #InstaLEGO #GoBricks #USCapitol #USCapitolBuilding #CapitolHill #WashingtonDC #ArchitectOfTheCapitol #America #USA #Diorama #AmericanHistory
US Capitol Complex North at Louisiana Avenue and D Street, NW, Washington DC on Monday afternoon, 18 January 2021 by Elvert Barnes Photography
US CAPITOL POLICE
Elvert Barnes COVID 19 Pandemic Part 5 New Year 2021 docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/CV19NewYear2021
Elvert Barnes Monday afternoon, 18 January 2021 In Preparation of 59th Presidential Inauguration US Capitol Complex docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/18January2021
US Capitol Complex North at Louisiana Avenue and D Street, NW, Washington DC on Monday afternoon, 18 January 2021 by Elvert Barnes Photography
MEDIA / PRESS
Elvert Barnes COVID 19 Pandemic Part 5 New Year 2021 docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/CV19NewYear2021
Elvert Barnes Monday afternoon, 18 January 2021 In Preparation of 59th Presidential Inauguration US Capitol Complex docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/18January2021
US Capitol Complex North at Louisiana Avenue and D Street, NW, Washington DC on Monday afternoon, 18 January 2021 by Elvert Barnes Photography
US CAPITOL POLICE
Elvert Barnes COVID 19 Pandemic Part 5 New Year 2021 docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/CV19NewYear2021
Elvert Barnes Monday afternoon, 18 January 2021 In Preparation of 59th Presidential Inauguration US Capitol Complex docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/18January2021
• Parts: 36,800+ (~1,130 unique)
• 📐 Scale: 1:650
• 📏 Dimensions: 32in x 51in (80cm x 130cm)
• 📚 Research, Design + Build Time: 4 months
• Photography: James Vitullo 📷
• ©️ MMXXIV - Rocco Buttliere, LLC
___________________________________
During a brief stint in Washington D.C. in 2023, I spent the better part of a summer evening exploring the grounds of Capitol Hill. Few landscapes invite as much inquiry along winding paths paired with plenty of moments for quiet introspection on marble benches; all in picturesque view of the Capitol dome. These on-site experiences are exactly the form of anecdotal justification I seek when considering whether to recreate such monumental places in the first place.
In tackling any work of such storied precedence as the US Capitol, I always seek to expand the conversation beyond existing works in the medium of plastic bricks. While the consistent 1:650 scale among my works has always ensured some level of originality, it is no guarantee of further insight that cannot already be gleaned from existing works by other artists. With this in mind, I set out to capture the full 100-acre site currently maintained by The Architect of the Capitol. What's more, the diorama depicts a particular time of year - specifically late March to early April - as illustrated by the iconic presence of hundreds of cherry blossoms rendered in two shades of light pink.
The diorama starts downhill at the trapezoidal Capitol Reflecting Pool, with the Grant Memorial taking pride of place along its eastern edge and the US Botanic Garden across the street to the south. The diorama expands from there, capturing the radiating pathways meandering uphill, as designed by Frederick Law Olmsted within the parcels laid out in the city plan by Pierre Charles L'Enfant. The piece culminates with the widely imitated US Capitol Building, perched atop a plinth projecting from the Capitol Visitor Center on the opposite side.
Topping everything off is a custom-made representation of the Statue of Freedom (as designed by Thomas Crawford), steadfastly overlooking the National Mall from atop the dome. The statue was designed in collaboration with BigKidBrix and was sized comparably to the minifigure statuette / trophy element.
The piece was designed over the course of about two months: first in December 2023 through January 2024, paused during the build-out of SPQR - Phase II, then resumed between March and April. The build-out lasted from July through August and was completed by September. The piece will soon be added to my personal gallery of works, now available for touring exhibitions.
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, left, and, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., talk, via a live downlink, to NASA Astronaut Tom Marshburn onboard the International Space Station (ISS) during a NASA briefing with the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Tuesday, May 7, 2013, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Marshburn discussed the opportunities provided by the station’s unique microgravity environment. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Space shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) flies near the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, in Washington. Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. NASA will transfer Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to begin its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and to educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Smithsonian Institution/Ken Rahaim)
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, left, and, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., talk, via a live downlink, to NASA Astronaut Tom Marshburn onboard the International Space Station (ISS) during a NASA briefing with the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Tuesday, May 7, 2013, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Marshburn discussed the opportunities provided by the station’s unique microgravity environment. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., talks, via a live downlink, to NASA Astronaut Tom Marshburn onboard the International Space Station (ISS) during a NASA briefing with the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Tuesday, May 7, 2013, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Marshburn discussed the opportunities provided by the station’s unique microgravity environment. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)