Who is Lady Justice? She is a figure dressed in Greek or Roman apparel. She carries a sword and sometimes a scroll as a defender of the law. Often she wears a blindfold to be impartial in her decision. She holds in balance a scale to judge evenly.

We see her as a sculpture on our public buildings Courthouse, Redding California

She is depicted in paintings Artist: Raphael Santi

She is created in bas relief. Parliament building, Victoria, Australia

Justice sits brooding on steps of the main entrance to the United States Supreme Court Created by James Earle Fraser She holds in her right hand a human a statue symbolizing the affairs of mankind.

The image of Justice originated with the goddess Themis. Themis was the deity of prophecy. She was the goddess of divine law and sat beside Zeus to offer advice. Themis judged whether the dead went to Tartarus or the Elysian Fields armed with sword and balance scales (Legislative Council Building, Central, Hong Kong) Themis armed with sword and balance scales (Legislative Council Building, Central, Hong Kong)

Our image of Lady Justice as we know today is a blend of the two goddesses, Justitia and Themis. The Roman version is Justitia. She was a virgin living among humans until the wrong-doings of mortals forced her to take flight and become the constellation Virgo.

Lady Justice Corrupted is the first sculpture in a series about our legal system. This project began with a group of drawings to convey the idea of justice corrupted. She is striding over a mound of money cleaving the book of Law in two. Her blindfold is askew and her focus looking off over her shoulder. She is no longer concerned with the affairs of mankind. This project began in the spring of 2012 when the idea became an actuality. I met a friend who financed the project and worked with me on the grunt work throughout the summer.

Positioning the armature

Embedding the armature in the styrofoam

Building the foam around the armature

A dress rehearsal

Inverting the sculpture in order to pour the cement into the base.

Applying the paper mache

Building the hands

Creating the hair and hair style

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