{"id":11830,"date":"2012-08-16T07:00:51","date_gmt":"2012-08-16T07:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zatista.com\/blog\/?p=11830"},"modified":"2016-07-19T20:45:04","modified_gmt":"2016-07-19T20:45:04","slug":"delight-gods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zatista.ie\/blog\/2012\/08\/delight-gods\/","title":{"rendered":"Delight of the Gods"},"content":{"rendered":"

A natural sequel to my last blog post on art created BY Olympians<\/a> is art\u00a0created to inspire Olympians. The words above were written by Pierre\u00a0Coubertin in his \u201cOde to Sport\u201d which won a gold medal in literature at the 1912 Olympics. Coubertin (the father of the modern Olympics) wanted\u00a0the Olympics to be more than technique. This was made manifest in the artistic\u00a0representations of the ideals of the games.<\/p>\n

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Anniversary-of-the-Reintroduction-of-the-Olympic-Games-1914 by Edouard Elzingre<\/p><\/div>\n

In 1914, Coubertin commissioned Edouard Elzingre to create a souvenir
\nposter for the 20th anniversary of the reintroduction of the Olympic games.
\nElzingre\u2019s lithograph shown above depicts a victorious athlete, wearing his olive
\nwreath (as in the original Greek games, a symbol of peace and victory),
\nreturning home as a hero.<\/p>\n

Other artistic symbols perpetuated Coubertin\u2019s ideals of the
\ninternationality of athletic competition with human values of both body
\nand spirit being paramount.<\/p>\n

Nikephoros Lytras, one of the most renowned Greek artists of his time,
\ndesigned the 1896 medal. One side shows the phoenix rising from the ashes
\nwith a figure representing Greece holding the wreath:<\/p>\n

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Souvenir-Medal-of-the-first-modern-Olympic-Games-in-1896<\/p><\/div>\n

David Watkins designed the London 2012 medal. It continues the tradition
\nof the Greek figure of Nike (Winged Goddess of Victory) with the Panathinaiko
\nStadium in the background. On the reverse there is a tribute to the host
\ncountry, with the River Thames and the London Games logo:<\/p>\n

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Olympic Gold Medal London 2012<\/p><\/div>\n

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Olympic rings photo: Cameron Spencer\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n

The Olympic rings symbol instantly stirs emotions at the most ordinary of
\ntimes. The Olympic rings in Olympic Park have apparently stirred enough
\nemotion to produce more rings \u2013 there have been at least 25 marriage
\nproposals in the park by romantic sports fans.<\/p>\n

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The Olympic rings revealed on London's Tower Bridge photo: Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n

Imagine the sensation as these London rings – 25 metres wide and 11.5
\nmetres tall – were lowered into place on the Tower Bridge. The rings,
\nwhich weigh three tons, cost \u00a3259,817 (approximately $407,562)\u00a0to produce. Installation
\nis estimated to have cost \u00a353,000, approximately $83,139.<\/p>\n

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