
Courtship for Eternity - Nauvoo, IL
N 40° 33.171 W 091° 23.389
15T E 636332 N 4490366
This sculpture, titled, "Courtship for Eternity" is located in the Historic Nauvoo Visitors’ Center, Monument to Women Memorial Garden, in Nauvoo, Illinois.
Waymark Code: WMFAA1
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 09/19/2012
Views: 1
While the Historic Nauvoo Visitors’ Center has visiting hours, the Monument to Women Memorial Garden is always open - and free. There are thirteen life-size sculptures in the Memorial Garden.
"In an age of heightened interest in the role of women, the Nauvoo garden of sculptures is dedicated to women of the past, present, and future. The statues, which were dedicated in 1978, identify some of the significant dimensions of a woman’s life.
The memorial consists of a heroic central sculpture of a woman, enhanced by twelve life-sized figures expressing the widely varied nature of women’s vital roles in society. The display may well be the largest commissioned display of sculpture in the world dedicated to women." (
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This sculpture depicts a young man and a young woman. They are sitting on a stone block. She is sitting in a long dress, with her body facing forward, while her head is turned, looking at the man. Her hands are at here side, with palms down on the block. The man is turned toward the woman, with his right leg hanging off the block and is left leg laying across the block, with his left ankle under his right leg. He is dressed in slacks and a dress shirt. He has his left hand at his side with the palm on the block, with his right hand resting on his left leg. The plaque at the base of the statue reads:
Courtship for Eternity
“…neither is the man without the woman, neither
the woman without the man, in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 11:11
Dennis Smith, Sculptor
"Dennis Smith is as much a philosopher as he is an artist. His work is a window into who he is and his views on life. His impressionistic style captures his exuberance for life and embodies his passion for transcendence - expressed through the spontaneity of children, reflections of the past, and hopes for the future.
At the heart of Dennis' work is the spirit of the human soul. We often see this represented through the innocence of childhood. To Dennis, the child is a metaphor for life. Children's lives, as they explore the world around them, parallel our lives as adults as we discover our identity in this universe. Each piece by Dennis Smith captures this spirit, still virbrant and alive, frozen in the moment of discovery." (
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