Matt Jung

Eng 103

Visual Analysis Paper

January 24, 2019

Icarus and the Garden of Angels

Outside of a church located on hackberry lane in Tuscaloosa is a small patch of earth

scattered with grass and invaded by roots, stands Icarus and the Garden of Angels. Three old

dirty stone statues made of white rock erected ten feet tall on top of rounded blocks of stone are

placed in a circle. These Statues are faceless hooded figures that somewhat resemble angels

based on how white the stone is that is not worn down and stained darker. The Faces aren’t

distinct, but subtle protrusions are used to portray lips, a nose, and eyes. The bodies are

completely flat in the front like something had completely chopped off the front three inches of a

human body. A large mass of rock represents an arm with engravings that resemble feathers.

The other arm is completely missing which would seem like an accident; however, all of them

are missing an arm on this side. These angels are all facing the same direction looking out past

and away. In the center of these angels is a body of dark stone suspended on a short alter. This

stone in the middle resembles the size and shape of a human body. It is jagged and deformed

like it had fallen from a great height. Based on this and the title of the article, I assume that this

mass of stone is meant to be Icarus. Icarus is a story from Greek mythology. Icarus is trapped

on a prison Island with his father, Daedalus. Daedalus fashioned wings made of feather and

wax to escape the island. Before leaving Icarus was warned not to fly too close to the sun or his

wings would melt and fall off. Icarus then uses the wings to fly off the island and in his joy and

excitement flys too close to the sun, thus melting his wings off and falling to his death. This

statue portrays him after his fall surrounded by angels. These angels are facing outward to
represent their watchful protection of the youth on campus and also serves as a reminder to

students not to “fly to close to the sun”.

I believe the statues facing outward shows them looking out for the students on campus.

This sculpture being placed on a college campus is a huge part of the deeper meaning behind

it. We can relate the story of Icarus to the lives of college students. For many of these students,

this is their first time ever being on their own. They are young and careless and want to have a

good time as much as they want to get good grades. This is very similar to Icarus having been

forced to fly off the island on his own and left to either succeed or fail. Like the sun in Icarus’s

case, students face many trials and dangers. From drugs and alcohol to failing classes and

dropping out, students handle and deal with these perilous situations. This statue can serve as

a reminder to students that they are not invincible much in the way Icarus was not invincible.

These angels are erected watching out towards the campus, and in a way looking out for the

young and naive students on campus facing many challenges.