Today is the birthday of Providence author H.P. Lovecraft — what better time to check in on the statue project. Last week, sculptor Gage Prentiss posted this photo on the project Facebook page adding, “Here is a taste of the newly cast bronze life size statue of H P Lovecraft! There is still welding, chasing, sandblasting and patina to do, but he is finally standing in bronze.” (We interviewed Prentiss last year about the project.)
To get an idea of what the statue will look like, complete with those cats lazing naturally about his ankles, there is a dedicated statue project site created by Lovecraft Arts & Sciences.
This design references Lovecraft’s works of weird fantasy (“The Cats of Ulthar”), and cosmic horror (a book summoning madness and the alien unknown). In his left hand, he holds a telescope pointing up and to the back, symbolizing his inspiration from the infinite cosmos and the misty past. Lovecraft is depicted late in his life, prior to his untimely death from cancer, as his world views attenuated and matured, and as he was creating some of his greatest literary works. A secured time capsule will be housed in the statue’s base, containing Lovecraft’s complete collection of stories, his biography and letters from select donors.
Prentiss is a cat owner . . . he knows cats. Click here to donate.