Titans
I wonder about the statue of Atlas, holding up the world on his massive shoulders. Did the Rockefeller family see themselves or J.D. as some modern and Earthly incarnation of the Titan? Perhaps, the statue was donated by someone seeking the families favor. Regardless, this is the largest sculpture at Rockefeller Center and apparently when installed in 1937 people thought it looked too much like Benito Mussolini.
Deco-ness
After The American Arts and Crafts period, Art Deco is one of my favorite styles. It’s one of the reasons I loved playing the BioShock series of video games, honestly. There is just something about the bold geometric influence while still preserving some new machine age ornateness that just gets me. New York has some great living examples of Art Deco design and Rockefeller Center is but one of these amazing examples.
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