Public art encapsulates a large part of Chicago’s history, and engages many different people in varying ways. Recently, I was in the city observing art and came across a woman who was seeing the same pieces I was. She proceeded to tell me she had just gotten off a plane, that morning, from New York, keep in mind it was around noon when I saw her, and wanted to show her daughter the great pieces of public art in Chicago. She passionately relayed the rich historical context of a few works of art: her main point being that Chicago is a hub for a booming culture of art. She noted that great artists from Europe, such as Picasso, Chagall, and Dubuffet, wanted to be a part of the modern art trends happening in Chicago in the twentieth century. She went as far to say that “these [pieces of artwork] are unique in the world,” meaning they are so well known and respected that their popularity extends beyond the city of Chicago. It is curious to think about what makes a successful work of public art, and why artists and observers alike are so intrigued with the art in Chicago. In my opinion, two works of Chicago’s public art, Monument with Standing Beast and Cloud Gate, serve as effective works of public art due to their complexity and appropriate placement in space, however Cloud Gate is more effective because of its personal appeal to the audience.
In order for a work of public art to be considered effective, it must have an element of complexity, provoking the thought of the
Many situations present the important synchronization of internal versus external negotiations. Many individuals have studied how each side in the negotiation is able to manage the internal opposition to agreements being negotiated. This can also be known as “on the table”, or what exactly is on the line in a heated argument. Each individual involve in an argument has a particular position to be managed, and often times own personal interests are widely expressed. This paper will expand upon the case of Fischer collecting needed funds from Smith with proposals and ideas for a manageable negotiation.
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but maybe they are worth far more than that. Pictures, although seemingly simple in nature, are extremely complex. Far too often, people overlook what a picture truly is. When a person looks at an image, they most likely see only the image, nothing else. Many people do not look deep enough into an image to fully comprehend the true meaning of it. However, when an individual begins to truly study an image in an attempt to understand the true complexity of it, they will be surprised at what they overlooked before. As stated by French Realist Painter, Gustave Courbet, “Fine art is knowledge made visible.”
Public art is a great reflection of the community within the city which the art is. In
Just as other works that reflect art, pieces in the category of fine arts serve the important message of passing certain messages or portraying a special feeling towards a particular person, function or activity. At times due to the nature of a particular work, it can become so valuable that its viewers cannot place a price on it. It is not the nature or texture of an art that qualifies it, but the appreciation by those who look at it (Lewis & Lewis, 2008).
Public forms of art have had a long-standing cultural and political effect on the citizens and history of Chicago. With the growing recognition and notoriety of Chicago on a global scale, the desire for tourists to visit the public art instalments as well as flock to each of Chicago’s cultural neighborhoods has increased. Areas like Pilsen, Chinatown and Bridgeport are now seen as destinations for tourists to experience authentic microcosms of other cultures that make up the greater Chicago metropolitan area. For large metropolitan areas, the need to create revenue is always an issue on city offical’s minds. Due to this need to generate income, cities like Chicago have taken to copyrighting popular sites and designs associated with the city
Public art creates an open space where viewers are invited to engage in difficult and poignant conversations that are usually avoided. Take for example Kara Walker’s work located at The Metropolitan Museum of Art: After The Deluge. She titles this art show with reference to Hurricane Katrina, and much like the aftermath, the art concerns muck quite literally and metaphorically. After The Deluge accentuates on race, class, and the polluted waters that were created by Hurricane Katrina. This public art piece consists of a plethora of black silhouette figures strategically placed on top of a ghostly wall, plain and white. The black-on-white narratives render all of the silhouettes black, even though one is to perceive the slaves from the whites – a task which is not difficult thanks to Walker’s inclination towards heavily using the well-known racial stereotypes. Nonetheless, the silhouettes show that the encounter between the
Positioned alongside Central Park within the heart of New York City, The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the largest and most influential art museums in the world. The Met houses an extensive collection of curated works that spans throughout various time periods and different cultures. The context of museums, especially one as influential as the Met, inherently predisposes its visitors to a set of understandings that subtly influence how they interpret and ultimately construct meanings about each individual object within a museum. By analyzing two separate works on exhibit at the Met, I will pose the argument that museums offer a unique expression of a world view that is dictated through every element of its construction.
Art, in my view, is than an activity of using man-made symbols to represent and transfer ideas. Yet, it is limited by the artist’s ability to manipulate these symbols to express his or her ideas, the clarity with which the symbols themselves express ideas, and the audience’s ability to perceive and understand the ideas that the artist has expressed. Overall, art as I have defined it is limited by our ability to express, transmit, and perceive ideas, as well as the constructs we have created to express ideas. Due to these constraints, it makes it almost impossible, in my view, to create a flawless work of art, where there is no conscious separation between artist and audience. There will always be some conscious separation between artist and audience; yet the great artists, in my view, are able to minimize this conscious separation between themselves and large audiences. Thus, I believe
In the current times the works of art often seem too abstract and unapproachable for an average receiver, and often the art pieces remain their meaning only within the context of art institutions, biennials and only the audience, who is already well informed on the subject of contemporary art practices. However I believe that it is essential for the art to become more approachable and influential for the wider audience, including the members of our communities and society. It is vital to have an awareness of contemporary thought on art practices, as it can be used as a tool for understanding the more complex meaning of art practices; which at the first sight may be perceived as controversial, egocentric and useless for the general
For over two thousand years, various philosophers have questioned the influence of art in our society. They have used abstract reasoning, human emotions, and logic to go beyond this world in the search for answers about arts' existence. For philosophers, art was not viewed for its own beauty, but rather for the question of how art and artists can help make our society more stable for the next generation. Plato, a Greek philosopher who lived during 420-348 B.C. in Athens, and Aristotle, Plato’s student who argued against his beliefs, have no exceptions to the steps they had to take in order to understand the purpose of art and artists. Though these two philosophers made marvelous discoveries about the existence of art, artists, and
Art is simple. Art is complex. Art is everything. Take a moment, everyday, to find art in the surrounding world. By doing this simple task, the understanding of art emerges. This
Whether it be writers, painters, sculptors, musicians, or photographers, artists all over the world have striven to show people their views of the world, of people, and even of the universe itself. Throughout history the creative urge of man to present to fellow men a different perspective or representation of life-or even the afterlife-has surfaced time and time again in the form of artwork. Sometimes it comes through genius and complexity, full of meaning and symbolism. Others, it is simple and void of any clear meaning at all other than that it is art. Soon, however, there became a point when the work of art was no longer something one could just look at and understand; the principle of the matter had
The integration of public art in urban cities has long been a beneficial tool in modifying the way urban life is lived. Art has the power to provoke thought and change, spark controversy, and even prevent crime. Philadelphia has exemplified the dominance of art in an urban city through murals, statues, and various other forms of art. The matter in which these works of art are placed throughout the city contributes greatly to the reception by the public. The presence of artwork in various places gives a neighborhood a welcoming appearance of upkeep and order. A notable example is the works of Isaiah Zagar, who created the Philadelphia Magic Gardens and various murals that plaster South Street and surrounding neighborhoods. The presence of intricate murals makes the neighborhood an inviting place to be, and it doubles as a device for warding off the occurrence of crime. The bond between urban art and its success is highly dependent on location, which ultimately determines the functionality and interpretation that the public has on the artwork.
“The value of art might be that it offers us a way of working through the complexity of moral or ethical issues – not prescribing solutions to them.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? Cite specific visual examples to substantiate your argument.
The connotations associated with any work of art or art medium are those of free individual expression without constraints or limitations. Even without constraints or limitations, artists are constantly under the watchful, scrutinous eye of the public. Each work of art, whether that be a painting, a dance performance, or a musical composition, is innately intended to engage an audience. I believe that captivating an audience with artwork should not be considered an act that should always result in an overall positive reaction from an audience. Instead, works of art should merely strive to make viewers or listeners feel some set of strong emotions, positive or negative. This discussion leads me to argue that due to the entire meaning of art being centered in an artist’s expression, censorship in artwork should not be allowed.