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Angel in Central Park

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Angel in Central Park

On World AIDS Day 2020, a post about the making of Angel in Central Park black-and-white Lensbaby photograph, the history of the Bethesda fountain sculpture in Central Park, NYC, and its role and symbolism in the play (and HBO movie) Angels In America.

Angel in Central Park

Angels in America has been a source of inspiration for many artists, in particular those capturing the AIDS pandemic of the eighties. The Bethesda angel is a symbolic figure at the center of Tony Kushner’s play, and, itself, a source of inspiration.

Known as the Angel of the Waters, the fountain sculpture designed by Emma Stebbins in 1868 hints at a Bible story of Christ healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda. As it watches over Central Park, in New York City, the angel also alludes to the Croton Aqueduct, the first water distribution system (1842) to provide clean, drinking water to the city. In the context of Angels in America, the angel fountain sculpture becomes a symbol of hope, of a possible healing for those struggling to survive HIV and AIDS during the darkest years of that pandemic. [read more at https://alinaoswald.com/2020/12/01/angel-in-central-park-the-story-of-a-photograph/]