An Analysis of Paul Fryer's Morning Star (Lucifer)

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Morning Star (Lucifer) -Paul Fryer


What was once tucked away at the Holy Trinity Church in Marylebone, England, could be one of the most symbolic statues sculpted in the modern era. Titled Morning Star by artist Paul Fryer, the statue depicts a fallen angel, Lucifer specifically, ensnared in telegraph and electrical wires. The central part of the statue, the angel, is composed primarily of wax, concrete, and aluminum. The sheen of the wax gives Lucifer an almost rotten, albeit human, complexion. One can’t help but wonder if the figure caught in the wires is human.

In an interview with Spine TV, Paul Fryer states he took inspiration from a lineman named John Feeks (Spine TV, 2:15). In the late 1800s, when telegraph and electrical wires lined the sky instead of being buried underground like today, John Feeks had been working on cutting down dead cables on a telegraph pole. He had forgotten to bring his rubber gloves and accidentally touched a live wire, resulting in an electrical shock that left him tangled and sizzling in the cables hanging above Manhatten, horrifying anyone who passed by. His flesh burned instantly, and blood poured onto the concrete below his body (Ann Arbor Register, 1889). Upon closer examination of the statue, one can't help but be struck by the masterful depiction of the angel’s face, which appears sunken and almost burned. The areas where the cables bind his skin are wrinkled and darker, and the feathers on his wings seem to be melting. The lighting from the stained glass windows in the church further enhances the ethereal atmosphere the piece exudes, as if it's a divine reprimand of Lucifer's rebellion.

Why did Fryer choose to depict the fallen angel Lucifer in this piece rather than John Feeks himself? The selection of Lucifer could be a profound symbolic message, reflecting humanity's hubris. At the time of Feeks’s tragic death, Thomas Edison was patenting the blueprints for the electric chair. Despite having everything in order, the public was convinced of the complete safety of electricity, and testing the chair on a prisoner would be human experimentation. Feeks's death intensified what would later be known as the Wire Panic, a significant event in the history of electrical infrastructure ("War of the Currents"). This Wire Panic, however, led to Edison testing his electric chair on William Francis Kemmler, the first man to die by electrocution (Spine TV, 2:57). Using Lucifer to depict Feeks is a potent metaphor for humanity’s false sense of security with each iteration of technological advancements. This piece was sculpted in 2008, long before the ideas of modern social media and AI chatbots were even thought of, but one can’t help but feel like we’re the ones trapped in the wires, and God is reprimanding us for our hubris.


Sources

Kittredge, Kendall, and Selby A. Moran, editors. “A Horrible Scene.” Ann Arbor Register, 17 Oct. 1889, https://aadl.org/node/507687. Accessed 4 June 2024.
“Stolen Moments: Paul Fryer.” YouTube, Spine TV, 21 Dec. 2011, youtu.be/bY77k4JjrVU?si=YF2gz1VDIcnAuQZy&t=112. Widowcranky. “Morning Star (Lucifer) – Paul Fryer.” Widowcranky, WidowCranky, 22 July 2017, https://widowcranky.com/2017/07/22/morning-star-lucifer-paul-fryer/. Accessed 3 June 2024. Wikipedia Contributors. “War of the Currents.” Wikipedia, Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=War_of_the_currents&oldid=1224611098. Accessed 4 June 2024.



Comments

  1. Penelope F.June 10, 2024 at 9:02 PM

    I love this piece of art. I love the symbolism and you did great at describing the artwork. I loved that you used interviews as part of your description. I totally agree with your analysis, this piece does a great job of showing the symbolism of humanity's priorities. I personally loved your articulation through the assessment, great job!

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