Newton (Paolozzi) facts for kids

Paolozzi's Newton (1995)

The sculpture called Newton is a famous artwork by Eduardo Paolozzi. It was made in 1995. You can see this large bronze sculpture outside the British Library in London. It sits on a tall base in the library's main square.

What is the Newton Sculpture?

This sculpture is inspired by an old picture made by William Blake in 1795. Blake's picture showed Isaac Newton sitting on a rock. Newton was using a pair of compasses or dividers to measure things. Blake's original artwork was meant to show how Newton focused on science and math. He seemed to turn away from nature.

How Paolozzi Created Newton

Paolozzi really liked Blake's picture of Newton. He first saw it at the Tate Gallery when he was young. Paolozzi was also friends with Colin St John Wilson. Wilson was the architect who designed the British Library.

Wilson wanted a sculpture to sit in the library's main square. Paolozzi was already working on a Newton sculpture. So, he was asked to create this special artwork for the library. The new library was built between 1982 and 1999. Paolozzi's sculpture was put in place in 1995.

Special Details of the Sculpture

The Newton sculpture actually includes Paolozzi's own face! He made Newton look like himself, measuring the universe. The eyes of the sculpture were copied from Michelangelo's famous David statue.

The sculpture shows how art and science can come together. It also shows how Newton changed our understanding of the world. He taught us that the world follows mathematical rules. The sculpture makes Newton's body look a bit like a machine. You can see bolts at his shoulders, elbows, knees, and ankles. You can also see seams on the sculpture, like on the head. This shows how Paolozzi put different pieces together to create the artwork.

Size and Funding

The final sculpture is very tall, standing about 12 feet high. It is placed on a high base. The bronze was cast, or shaped, by a company called Morris Singer foundry. The money for the sculpture came from the Foundation for Sport and the Arts. In 2015, the sculpture was included in the Grade I listing of the library. This means it's a very important historical artwork.

Other Newton Sculptures

• A smaller model of the sculpture was given by Paolozzi to the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Cambridge.
• Another bronze model, made in 1988, is kept at the Tate Gallery.
• A similar sculpture from 1989, called Master of the Universe, can be found at the Scottish National Gallery Of Modern Art in Edinburgh. There is also another example of this sculpture in Hong Kong.

Images for kids

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  Dean Gallery, Edinburgh/Scotland

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  Hong Kong, Kowloon Park