Greeting Sir Neptune

The Boardwalk Neptune Statue is my first stop on this tour because it is usually the first major landmark that I see, and take immediate note of, upon arrivating at the oceanfront; it sits in the heart of the most touristy and busy section of the oceanfront - the boardwalk. Thus, I conceive of it as a sort of indication that I have officially arrived at the beach; it summons and symbolizes the beach/a beach day. In this sense, witnessing it usually incites within me positive emotions of excitement and eagerness. Because it is such a looming, impressive, and popular landmark, I (and others) also utilize it it as a relative checkpoint for navigation and direction purposes on the oceanfront.

The statue, for some context, is very large - about 34 feet high and, thus, intentionally larger than life/divine-like - and made of heavy bronze. It was designed by popular Richmond sculptor, Paul DiPasquale, and finally casted and finished by 2005. It stands at the front of Neptune Park, on 31st Street, and depicts the mythological god Neptune, the god of freshwater and the sea according to Roman religion/mythology. Of the statue, it is stated "Surrounded by creatures of his realm mighty trident in hand, Neptune's gaze rests affectionately on the shore. His heroic visage honors the maritime legacy of Virginia Beach while also standing as a vivid reminder of the community's duty to respect and protect our natural blessings." Here, we see Roman (distinctly Western) mythology directly supplanting whichever creation stories, myths, or figures that have been associated with this area among those who are Indigenous to the land (presumably, the Chesepians). By placing Neptune here as the presiding (and, in some ways, domineering) figure of the beach and oceanfront, it concretizes his presence and - by extension - the presence of Western thought, myth, tradition, and peoples (settlers). This could be read as an interesting move to settler nativism - it instantiates the notion that figures, like Roman gods/goddesses, associated with the West, are native - or at least relevant - to this area; there is no room left for any Indigenous figures or cosmologies here. Further, by associating this statue with the "maritime legacy" of the city/area, this narrative takes up the notion that history started with colonization, or the arrival of Western peoples, thought, and mythology. To elaborate, I found that, early in the colonial period, the economy of this area centered around the growing and selling of cash crops including wheat, oats, corn in addition to the production of pitch, tar, and turpentine for their maritime uses. Thus, the sense that Neptune honors the 'maritime legacy' of Virginia Beach relies on a conceputalization of spatial history that starts with colonization, or which starts with the ways in which the space was utilized during early colonization to the elision of its uses and meanings pre-European arrival and settlement.

All of this is interesting espeically considering how, as I stated previously, this statue has served the purpose of summoning my beach day - it was the starting point. This has a lot to do with its placement, in addition to the generally domineering and overseeing air which the statue is meant to embody.

On a final note, I did a little more digging into DiPasquale to try and get a better sense of his work beyond this statue. Interestingly enough, I found that he is also known for completing a large statue called Connecticut, a work of a crouching, peering Indigenous man with (literal) red skin and a rather stereotypical appearance. One source describes him as a "giant Indian brave," which makes sense considering how the statue was set up in the Diamond, Richmond's ballpark, where it became the city icon and mascot for 25 years. Now, it sits atop the historic Lucky Strike Power Plant and overlooks the James River tidal basin to purportedly pay homage to original Americans. Thus, both the Neptune and Connecticut statues are meant to be formidable works paying homage to a certain legacy; however, where the Neptune statue stands overseeing and possessing the oceanfront, the Connecticut statue crouches and peers - courageous and not necessarily defeated, but not quite in control or in power. I would argue that this difference is a reflection of settler colonial narratives which simultaneously romanticize and valorize Indigenous peoples - and their struggles as warriors - while simultaneously gesturing toward their inevitable defeat/lack of prowess once confronted with the "stronger, more durable" Western society.

Image(s): Neptune Statue; Connecticut Statue