The Jesus sculpture built on top of Corcovado is the most famous in Rio de Janeiro. Building such a giant sculpture on the peak of a mountain at 710 metres (2,343) above sea level was a very daring project in the 1920s in Brazil.
There were initially four sketches of ideas before the final one: a sculpture of Christ holding the cross; Christ holding the globe of the Earth and the cross; Christ holding the cross and blessing Rio de Janeiro with his right hand, and the simple idea of Christ as a cross.
The design of the Christ statue sculpture holding the globe of the Earth was the favorite of Brazilian architect-engineer Heitor da Silva Costa. However, it was criticized. Locals joked and nicknamed it the “Christ of the Ball,” because to some, it looked like Christ was holding a soccer ball.
Costa, who was a native of Rio de Janeiro, accepted the criticism and decided to look for a sculptor to help him in designing the Christ the Redeemer sculpture as we know today. On a trip to Europe in 1924, he met several artists, including Paul Landowski, a French sculptor of Polish origin.
Landowski was hired and became a key person in the project because he understood more than anyone else the importance of maintaining balance between architecture and engineering (arms and body), and sculpture (head and hands).
Landowski was the one who carved the head and the hands of the Christ statue in France. Later, the plaster models were shipped to Brazil and divided into dozens of numbered parts. After they were cast in reinforced concrete, they were fitted together on site, atop Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro.
Landowski was also in charge of building a model of the Christ statue four metres (13 feet) in height. The model was the only Christ the Redeemer statue he ever saw, because Landowski has never been to Brazil and has never seen the full-scale statue in person!
Are you coming to Brazil soon? Visit the statue the right away, avoiding the crowds, hassles and annoyances — download a copy of Christ the Redeemer Statue – A Comprehensive Guidebook to Visiting the Rio de Janeiro Landmark atop Corcovado Mountain. (Includes other curiosities and facts).
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