With narrowed eyes, Julia has been feeling the passing of the walkers who wander along Pez Street for years.

The plaque behind her barely reveals any information about this young woman with a calm face and carefree pose.

"Tribute to the Old University of Madrid"

, reads the inscription.

Ever since the statue signed by the sculptor Antonio Santín was anchored to the ground, rumors about his identity have been a constant.

One of the most widespread,

that it is a representation of Concepción Arenal

, is denied by the artist himself.

"There was already a monument dedicated to her in the Parque del Oeste," he adds.

Julia, actually, her name is Maria

.

She and Antonio met as students.

This is how he ended up becoming his model.

The name with which the sculpture was baptized responds to a previous and accidental finding, the result of Antonio's search for inspiration on the Internet: that of a story of uncertain veracity starring a young maiden named Julia who, like Concepción Arenal, dressed of man to go to the university.

"So I started to think about Julia, what this story meant, and

the unfortunate fact that women were previously denied access to education

," says the artist. "I was not interested in focusing on the anecdotal fact that a woman had to dress as a man in order to attend class. This story was already told. Therefore, I focused on representing a contemporary student and, with it, trying to honor everyone they".


Since then, Julia has guarded the comings and goings of countless young people who, today, exercise the right that she never had. "Education elevates us and eliminates the differences of departure. It gives us the opportunity to develop our talents and interests,

to more successfully seek our place in the world,

" says the sculptor. "It seems important to me to value what we have, and to respect it taking into account the efforts that many anonymous people made in the past. They gave us an opportunity to find the best version of ourselves."

Although Antonio returns to reside in Madrid, where he has opened his own workshop, during the years he lived in Berlin and New York he visited the statue of Julia whenever he returned.

Because reencountering some moments, like some people,

is another way to return home

.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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