CHALLENGE #25 – ANSWERED – “Good Defeats Evil”

As you should already know, I like statues. Due to some tedious security issues, I could not get close enough to this statue to get the preferred statue selfie. But, the statue interested me enough that I let the statue go solo. Since the degree of difficulty is higher on this one, I will offer a couple hints. This big city statue has significant, international significance. And, parts of the statue were made with some high end, weapons of destruction. Enough said. So, as I was taking this statue picture…

Where was I? (not just a city, rather the specific famous place) ANSWER – UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS in New York City, NY

And if you really want to show off….Name the statue…its an image and statue that has been recreated many times over the centuries. ANSWER – “Good Defeats Evil” but credit is given to those of you that said St. George Slaying the Dragon.

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To give credit where credit is due, I did have some scholarly readers that offered a semi-correct answer of St. George Slaying the Dragon. That is indeed a depiction of St. George slaying a dragon. However, this version of that scene is actually called “Good Defeats Evil.” On the 45th anniversary of the United Nations, the Soviet Union commissioned and gifted this statue to the organization. The dragon in the sculpture is actually made from parts of disassembled Soviet SS-20 missiles and United States Pershing nuclear missiles.  The destruction of these nuclear missiles was part of the terms for the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987. Therefore, the “Good Defeats Evil” statue is a tribute to the nuclear disarmament effort.

In the picture on the right above, you can see the missile parts better. Also, you get more perspective with NYC in the background. Additionally, you can see the iconic flags of all the UN member nations going along 1st Avenue. As this view is within the UN security gates, I can not claim the work as my own. The lesser picture on the left is my own crude work as I stood in the cold, outside the security fence.

To give you some historic perspective, Saint George Slaying the Dragon is a scene that well pre-dates US/Soviet Union nuclear disarmament. As the story goes, a dragon was demanding human sacrifices. On this day, the dragon was about to kill/eat some local princess. Then, St. George showed up and slew the dragon. Paintings, scuptures and manuscripts have depicted this scene for around 1000 years. Here are a couple examples…

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I hope you have enjoyed reading about “Good Defeats Evil.” So, if you are walking along the UN security fence, it can be seen in the lawn on the north side of the compound. Have a good day. PT