Walking from one side of the city to the other, following a varied but sculptural street map, we can speak of a sculpture route . A route that is not predetermined nor does it require seeing all of them (hundreds).
Oviedo and Woody Allen
Oviedo is, above all, a pedestrian city, comfortable for those who walk it. Film director Woody Allen , winner of the 2002 Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts, knows this well. Strolling through its streets, he left behind a number of compliments and insightful analyses that have become part of local history. Oviedo is a "delightful, exotic, beautiful, and pedestrianized city; it's as if it doesn't belong to this world, as if it doesn't exist... like a fairy tale." According to him, Oviedo is a "secluded but very beautiful" place that gives him the feeling of being outside of reality: "in a protected atmosphere."
Since the renowned Woody Allen made these remarks, the people of Asturias have sought ways to thank him and pay him homage. The statue of Woody Allen that now "walks" in the heart of the city surprised the director himself during a visit to Asturias in May 2005. A well-known regional newspaper headlined the encounter "Allen Meets Allen . "
After observing it carefully, Woody commented to his companions that it was very difficult to react to the statue of oneself. Later, in an appearance in the auditorium, he left for history a phrase that could well fit into his long list of famous quotes, or in the ironic dialogue of one of his films: "I would like to come every year to put a crown of flowers".
The fact is that the statue of the great Woody Allen, the only one officially recognized worldwide, is now one of the defining symbols of the city of Oviedo . Many people have their picture taken next to the brilliant filmmaker. They mimic his pose: slightly stepping forward with their left foot and putting their hands in their pockets, adopting a thoughtful expression, almost forgetting that what's walking beside them is a statue.
And Mafalda
Another honoree at the Prince of Asturias Awards, Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón " Quino ", has seen how Oviedo has a privileged seat for the apple of his eye: Mafalda, who awaits us on a central bench in the San Francisco field with a smiling face.
Mafalda in Oviedo
Argentine cartoonist Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, better known by his pseudonym Quino, … Read more
Oviedo and the sculptures of the old town
The tradition of taking photos with Oviedo's statues began in 1993, when thousands of tourists were already stopping to photograph themselves with the solitary male figure gazing into the distance from Plaza de Porlier, leaning against a trunk, his feet surrounded by suitcases. This is Eduardo Úrculo's "The Return of Williams B. Arrensberg ," popularly known as "the traveler." A pioneering work in its genre, it fills Oviedo's historic center with nostalgia, but also with a sense of adventure and mystery. For Úrculo, certain objects like suitcases, coats, benches, and—especially—hats are laden with symbolism about the human condition.
In the cathedral square, we encounter another fictional character: a bronze woman strolling motionless, encased in her period costume. This is Ana Ozores, La Regenta , who lived in the fictional Oviedo (Vetusta) of Leopoldo Alas Clarín, and whose presence, thanks to this replica, endures forever beyond the novel, in eternal coexistence with the city's inhabitants.
Oviedo and Botero, Oviedo and Úrculo ...
Fernando Botero brought his most imposing sculpture to Oviedo. The brilliant Colombian artist contributes to the city's essential sculpture collection with an enormous work, crafted from polished bronze and devoid of sharp edges or straight lines. The magnificent Maternity , queen and mistress of the Plaza de la Escandalera, weighs over 800 kilograms and cradles in its arms the plumpest baby imaginable.
Fatness and disproportion also affect the sculpture that caused the biggest stir in Oviedo when it was placed next to the Campoamor Theater in 2001. Úrculo's Culis Monumentalibus doesn't have any hidden meaning, at least not on the surface; it's simply a butt. A super-butt, we might conclude, perched atop massive jambs more than 4 meters high. Although it weighs over a ton, it seems to want to take flight towards the sky in search of a back that will grant it a modicum of dignity.
Hundreds of sculptures are scattered throughout the city, from San Francisco Park to the most secluded spots. The style is varied, although figurative art clearly predominates. Cuco Suárez's "Biological Cow " is the most avant-garde sculpture of them all. Located in the Winter Park, it is made of methacrylate, and its transparency reveals an illuminated, neon circuit that highlights the animal's internal functions: feeding, circulation, respiration, and so on. Its nighttime appearance is striking.
Asturias, its customs, its traditional trades are a constant in many of the sculptures that adorn Oviedo: The vendors of Fontán , in the Plaza del Fontán ; The milkmaid and The fish vendor , placed in the Plaza de Trascorrales; Guisandera in the street Gascona; or the popular photographer La torera , immortalized in the Parque de San Francisco, are good examples of this theme.
There are many sculptures left to describe, although they keep popping up as we walk through Oviedo: Monument to Concord , in Plaza Carbayón; Peace , on Avenida Fundación Príncipe de Asturias; Life , in Plaza Hermandad de Donantes; Violinist , in Plaza de la Gesta; The Bullfighter in Palacio Valdés; Beggar with dogs on Calle Alejandro Casona; The Asturcones , in Plaza de la Escandalera, and many more.
Presiding over this enormous mosaic of inanimate beings is the city's largest sculpture, the Sacred Heart of Jesus , atop Mount Naranco. From there, it breathes life into all, whether of flesh and blood, stone, or bronze.
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
