Alec Frazier Wearing Mask with Sculpture of Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Neil Estern in Room on Third Term (1941-1945): The Second World War Looking East from West

            This is a large sculpture of FDR. FDR is represented as he was seen in real life, with a cloak obscuring his chair. As mentioned, this statue was the subject of controversy, even after metal castors were added to represent the wheelchair. You can see the castors if you look behind the statue, but they are not wheelchair accessible. You will also notice that FDR’s pointer finger is a shiny gold, as visitors have been touching and taking pictures with the bronze sculpture since 1997.

The Detail

To the left of the fountain, the pines provide a dark green foliage frame for a bronze portrait of the president. It portrays him at Hyde Park, New York, toward the end of the war. The niche emphasizes his strength and confidence; it frames the portrait and is especially enhanced by a massive anchor stone.

This stone is twenty-nine feet long and six feet high. The stone symbolizes the great power of the presidency; it evokes feelings of strength and fortitude.

This stone represents the fundamental greatness of man who has carried the tremendous challenges and responsibilities of the war on his shoulders.

This powerful portrayal of President Roosevelt was created by sculptor Neil Estern, a resident of Brooklyn, New York.

His work here captures all of the details of FDR that animated his personality—the energy, the exuberance, the wrinkles, the tilts of the head, the gestures, and the body language.

The sculptor’s intent is that the viewer not only recognize the character of the man, but also the aura of his personality.

Estern went to great lengths to research this portrait of FDR. At Hyde Park, once the president’s home and now a museum, Estern was able to study, photograph, and measure individual elements that appear in the sculpture. The chair is a replica in bronze of the one that FDR used to move around in at Hyde Park. Estern captured the details of FDR’s chair. The flowered decorations—which were specially designed for the Roosevelt family—and the casters on the chair legs are carefully re-created.

The closures on FDR’s cape and the way the material folds and drapes are also depicted with great care. FDR’s left leg is cast in such a way as to reveal its weakness and immobility. Nevertheless, the president is steadfast in his attitude. It is clear that he is strong and purposeful in the face of this war. His eyes gaze ahead to the future.

Taken on: July 10, 2020

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Alec Frazier

Alec Fuld Frazier

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Sets appears in: • Room on Third Term (1941-1945): The Second World War at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial • Photos of Me

Camera: Canon PowerShot ELPH 180, f/3.2, 1/200 sec, 5mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot ELPH 180
Aperture:	f/3.2
Exposure Time:	0.005 sec (1/200)
Focal Length:	5mm
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Auto, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
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