Monumental Equines; Part 1

I have always had a "thing" for Equine statues. Mostly this stems from my love of all things "horse-y". As a kid I loved them JUST because they were statues of horses, and they gave me something to admire. But these days... my admiration stems from more than the fact that they are depictions of horses. Nowadays... I love them for their artistry... and the effort that it takes to CREATE these marvels of art AND engineering.

Many artists consider the sculpting of an equestrian statue to be the pinnacle of their sculpting career. It is a true test of their artistic vision, and talents to successfully create one of these monumental monuments. And, if successful, the artist is able to leave behind not only a testament to their skills, but a lasting testament to history.

I recently made it a point to stop at a particularly interesting Equine Statue... that of Don Juan de Oñate, in El Paso, TX.

Simply titled: "The Equestrian", this statue is situated at the entrance to El Paso International Airport.

I found reference to this statue, and it's creation YEARS ago; I'm not sure where... but it was probably RoadsideAmerica.com. It's story has intrigued me for years, but I only JUST managed to stop in El Paso (even though I've driven through the city countless times), to actually see it!

On first glance... this may seem like an benign statue of a Spaniard on a rearing horse. But... not so! This statue is actually very unique... in several ways!

First... is the world's Largest BRONZE Equestrian Statue! When planning started, the statue was slated to stand 21 ft tall. However, when sculptor John Sherrill Houser discovered that there was nothing in his contract stating that he had to keep the statue to 1.5 times life size, and that the current largest bronze equestrian statue was only a little larger than his original plan (I'm pretty sure the statue they were referring to is the Da Vinci Horse , which stands at 24 ft tall)... he decided to go for the record. Why not?? Right?

When completed, the horse and rider ended up at 36 ft tall... PLUS the 8 ft tall plinth it rests on. This allows the statue to stand four and one half stories in height. Standing beneath it... it is quite an imposing monument!

Equally imposing, is the historical figure that this statue was originally intended to commemorate; the Spaniard, Don Juan de Oñate. He was among the first Spaniards to colonize, and found settlements in New Mexico. He also supposedly celebrated "Thanksgiving" with the natives, in the New World... 20 or more years BEFORE the Pilgrims. Unfortunately, as construction on the statue began, the "facts" behind the Spaniard began to come to light. It was discovered that Oñate was notorious for his barbaric and torturous methods of dealing with the Natives (which included the severing of feet and other limbs...). Like most Spaniards, (Honestly, this isn't MUCH different than Columbus... but that's another story, and not something they generally teach in grade school. ~.^), Oñate's journey of discovery and colonization was punctuated by violence against the native people of the region.

So... in an attempt to either "sanitize" the historical significance of the statue, or to simply ignore it, the city of El Paso decided to title the statue incongruously, "The Equestrian"... rather than identify it as a statue of Oñate.

Once the truth behind the statue's subject was made public, it caused an outcry from the public, as well as a round of protests. Many groups referred to the statue as a "monument to terrorism."

Of course, the artist shot back at the public, defending his work against the outcry of protest(The Equestrian was originally envisioned as one of 12 sculptures set to grace El Paso. They were to be called the "XII Travelers," and depict the various stages of history in the Southwest. To my knowledge, the other sculptures have not been completed). He complains that the critics fail to understand what the 12 statues are represent. “They’re chapter heads for a certain era in history,” he said. “We’ve divided that whole history into 12 segments and we’ve chosen one figure to represent each segment. And that figure is not represented as a hero, it’s represented as sort of an icon for that era. So people are supposed to look at that – whether it’s John Wesley Hardin, or Pancho Villa or Don Juan de Oñate – and they’re not supposed to see a statue of a hero who was really an awful person. They’re supposed to see that the monument stands for a certain period in the history of the Pass of the North.”

Still... it seems odd that if that was your goal... you would choose a figure as potentially controversial as Oñate. But then again... that is what Art is all about; Getting the viewer to React. At least that's what my professors in college tried to convince me...

Despite the disapproval of many citizens in El Paso, the statue was completed. It was installed on October 23, 2006 at the entrance to El Paso International Airport. Despite it all; over 10 years in the making... the delays in completion... being over budget... and being redesigned so it would hold the record as the LARGEST Bronze Equestrian statue... they could hardly pull the plug on it's completion!

I see a lot of similarities between "The Equestrian", and the statue of Pancho Villa in Tucson, AZ; it has a similar history of controversy.

Pancho Villa (a Mexican revolutionary) killed American soldiers in raids across the border... and yet when the Mexican government bankrolled the statue, and ultimately gave it to Arizona... it had to find a home. Oddly... it was rejected by the Phoenix-area town of Guadalupe... only then did it settle in Tucson.

This is one of those statues that I grew up trying to catch a glimpse of every time we drove past it. I didn't care that the man it depicted was considered by many to be a murderer. It was a statue of a horse... that's all I cared about!

Then I went to Art School... and started delving into the historical significance behind these public works of art. It's the combination of History, and Art... that I think I find most interesting.

Honestly, violent history lesson aside, "The Equestrian" is an imposing, and skillfully rendered statue. The sculptural detail in the tack (saddle, bridle, trappings etc)... especially the bottoms of the stirrups... is pretty amazing!

And, now that I know that the sculptor's father, Ivan Houser, was an assistant sculptor to Borglum (the man who gave us Mt. Rushmore!)... I find it even more worthy of admiration. There is something about the sculptural quality of the horse's mane and tail, that I find reminiscent of Mt. Rushmore. It's interesting to view it from an artist's perspective; to see an artistic style and skill passed down through the generations, and to see it realized on such a grand scale.

Whether or not Houser's motivations in choosing to "honor" Oñate with his own statue are truly as benign as he tries to make them out to be... could be the subject of some heated, but interesting artistic debates. Either way, he did still give the public one of the most impressive Equestrian statues in the world; both in skillful execution AND stature!

To me... knowing the history and significance behind this statue, only makes it all the more interesting! Sure, it could be seen as a monument to terrorism and torture... but I don't choose to see it that way. While I remember, and acknowledge the events that lay behind this statue's creation... I still look at it and see a testament to the artist's skill and determination. Not only did he remind us of the region's history... but he also gave us a statue that is visually appealing. Hopefully it will stand the test of time, and go down in the annals of sculpture alongside Mt. Rushmore, the Da Vinci Horse, and other monumental works!