Tag Archives: Boston Common

‘The Embrace’ , The ‘Martin Luther King’ Monument In ‘Boston Common’, 1-Year Apart — 2023 vs. 2024.

by Anura Guruge
on February 6, 2024

Follow Anura Guruge on WordPress.com


Click to ENLARGE.

I go to ‘Boston‘ for my annual Cataract Checkup, at ‘OCB‘ by the BRILLIANT Dr. Theodor Sauer, around this time of year. Hence the visit last year on Jan. 29 & this year on Feb. 5. The 2nd visit, last year, just 7-days later was for Chinese New Year in Chinatown. Yes, the second visit was on a Sunday, while the first (last year) & yesterday’s was during the week. 

In January 2023, the sculpture had just been unveiled ahead of MLK day. There was a lot of publicity, interest and curiosity. That was all good.

Yes, it is still there, of course, & BIG AS EVER. It is imposing.

I (kind of) like it. It is STRIKING. You can’t ignore it.

Yesterday it was EMPTY — as you can see from my pictures. There were two people to begin with — one (shown in the image above) was just using the bench to study her phone. Then there was a lady taking pictures. But, when I offered, she didn’t want her picture taken with it (BUT, then again, she might have been concerned, given my looks, that I might just run away with her phone).

The Commons wasn’t SUPER busy but there was a respectable amount of people.

Boston, on the whole, felt a BIT less crowded.

I kind of suspected that this monumental statue, in time, will get blended in to the Commons, much like all the others. That seemed to have happened. That is OK. It still has presence & tells a story.

‘The Embrace’ — The ‘Martin Luther King’ Monument In ‘Boston Common’, the 2nd Visit.

by Anura Guruge
on February 6, 2023

Follow Anura Guruge on WordPress.com


Click pictures to ENLARGE.


Yes, second visit in the space of 7 days. That just happened. I had an eye check up, for my 2020/2021 cataract surgeries. So, this was a Monday morning. The first time was on a Sunday morning.

It still had a fair amount of people — as you can see from my pictures. I couldn’t tell if there were less. I can tell you this, however. No other statue, anywhere in the ‘Common’ or in the ‘Public Park’ had folks milling around. So, this monument does attract crowds — at least for now. But, its very nature invites people to come & walk around — walk under. It is an INTERACTIVE monument. That is CLEVER & it is working. I think it will continue to work.

It is STILL BIG! You can’t escape that. It is eye catching from very far away.

I like it. I can live with it. I think it is clever. I think it works.

This was NOT my last visit, though I am not scheduled to be in Boston any time soon. But, next time I am there, I most likely will amble by.

‘The Embrace’ — The ‘Martin Luther King’ Monument In ‘Boston Common’.

by Anura Guruge
on January 29, 2023

Follow Anura Guruge on WordPress.com


Click pictures to ENLARGE.


It is BIG. It is VERY BIG. It is HUGE. It is imposing. It is much bigger than I expected.

It was its size more than anything else that struck me. That will be my abiding takeaway — it is BIG. But, then I met a lady who said it was smaller than she had imagined.

There is no doubt that it dominates the space around it.

We parked in the underground garage below ‘Boston Common’ — my preferred parking garage in Boston. As soon as we came out, I saw it. Wow. ‘There it was!’

Yes, from certain angles it sure looks turgid & unappealing.

But, close up there is a lot of detail — such as the buttons & the necklace.

After some consideration, I would have to say that IT WORKS & IT IS FOR THE BEST.

This statue gets your attention. You can’t ignore it. You can’t just walk by past. It DEMANDS your attention. That is GOOD.

It makes you stop & think. So, I think the artist got it right.

With luck I will get a chance to see it AGAIN next week. I have an eye appointment in Boston & as usual will park in ‘Boston Common’. I plan to go have another look.

But, I have to say, I am impressed. WOW. It is BIG.