Art is a subjective thing.
What one person values as art may be a worthless and objectionable piece of trash to another person.
From FOX News:
Dogs do the darndest things.They poop, they hump and they sniff in all the wrong places.
And now you can see them do all of the above every time you cross the pedestrian bridge over Interstate 80 in Berkeley, Calif., thanks to the largesse of the taxpayers.
Artist Scott Donahue of Emeryville, Calif., was paid $196,000 by Berkeley's public arts program to create two large statues, which feature small, artistic medallions that show dogs doing what dogs do best.
"Various things," Donahue said. "Biting each other, chasing each other…. One dog is defecating, two dogs are fornicating."
But with the country in a deep recession and California on the verge of bankruptcy, some taxpayers are questioning the money Donahue got for his work. His total budget was $196,000 — 1.5 percent of the total budget for building the pedestrian bridge. And all of it came from taxpayers.
...Donahue was chosen by the Berkeley Civic Arts Commission — a public agency under the Office of Economic Development — to create sculptures for each end of the pedestrian bridge. His original design included 28-foot statues honoring the history and daily life of the city of Berkeley. What it didn't show were the tiny reliefs of dogs in not-so-flattering poses at the bottom of one of the statues.
"I probably had just indications of wildlife in the original application," Donahue said. "I probably didn't have the actual poses for all the reliefs."
While some citizens are growling at this apparent oversight, Berkeley civic arts coordinator Mary Ann Marker doesn't seem fazed.
"You know they're only 5 inches – the piece is 28 feet," she says. "They're just part of the bottom of the base as extra decoration. They are by no means the main thrust of the piece."
As for the depictions of the dogs?
"I think they're just, you know, natural science. They're just showing what dogs really do," said Archana Horsting, executive director of the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley.
Public art, especially when funded solely with taxpayer dollars, is so often controversial.
Some people love certain works and others hate them. In Milwaukee, there's Mark di Suvero's "The Calling," a horrific piece in my opinion that soils the lakefront.
So, Donahue's sculptures are controversial, and some people are particularly troubled because the taxpayers spent $196,000 for them.
Donahue seems to be a bit of a nut.
In describing his work, this quote about his depiction of the dogs stands out: "Biting each other, chasing each other.... One dog is defecating, two dogs are fornicating."
"Two dogs are fornicating."
That's impossible. Dogs don't "FORNICATE."
Did I miss something? Is dog marriage legal in California?
2 comments:
Has anyone realized that these ugly monstrosities are completely clashing with the bridge. There are no proportions: They are way to big for starters, and in terms of their style they resemble sort of Franco's Spanish fascist art rather than the beautifully stylized lines of the bridge. I wander what kind of nitwits sat on that comity....There is a reason why people study art history and give advice on style even if it is just for political reasons....After all, whoever ratified this piece of shit is going to be remembered for it's dogmatic and aggressive style. At last I just hope that someone climbs the thing and repaints it...
I have never noticed the 5" dog defecating panels, but my complaint is that these 28 foot tall statues are hideous. The bridge had a simple elegance, and these statues really spoil the bridge from any viewpoint, whether from far away or up close. And they do completely clash with the style of the bridge. I feel sad every time I bike by them because they are so ugly and ruined an interesting spot. And to think the city wasted $196,000 on them...
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