Public Art

                                              Trafalgar Square Rooster          

In 2013 a sculpture called Hahn or Cock by the German artist Katharina Fritsch was placed on the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar square in London.  The name Trafalgar relates to a naval battle and the memorial statue of Horatio Nelson on top of a very tall column in the square. 

        Nelson commanded the British fleet that defeated Napoleon’s combined French and Spanish fleet at the battle of Trafalgar, in the Atlantic, off the Spanish coast in 1805. Nelson was shot by a French sniper and died at the battle but died knowing he had won a great victory.

                            

Symbols of Britain surround the square ‒ the National Gallery, St. Martin in the Fields church on the left, an opera house, London cabs, and double decker busses.  Crowds, fountains, and musical performers fill the square. The location has a wonderful ambiance.
For whatever reason, perhaps foresight, a plinth was left free to receive a temporary object.  Why did Fritsch choose the ultramarine blue color for the fiberglass cock overlooking Trafalgar square? Picture it with another color or realistically colored. How well would that work? Why?                                     

The rooster as the clarion of the dawn is seen and thought of in silhouette.  The deep blue plays down the plumage and reinforces the iconic silhouette.  We saw with Christo’s public works how they transform the surrounding space.  So it is with the rooster.  Trafalgar Square seems like a stage set.  With a little imagination we could visualize the blue rooster standing on a plinth in ancient Rome.

You might like to see other artworks that, over the years, have occupied the empty plinth.  By Google search, find -- Fourth Plinth: past commissions | London City Hall.

             Olafur Eliasson   

Another public art project for us to consider is called New York City Waterfalls. It is the creation of the artist Olafur Eliasson.  It consists of four man-made waterfalls in New York City’s East River.  Pumps lift the water up so then it can fall.  See this waterfall, costing 15.5 million dollars, under the Brooklyn Bridge.

                     

                                                                        Sol LeWitt

On a smaller scale, please look at a decorative free standing pillar by Sol LeWitt.  The column is composed of different cells.  In each cell there are background lines or grooves.  The background lines alternate in direction as we go up the column ‒ vertical, then horizontal, then vertical again.  

Within each cell there is a shape containing lines in a perpendicular direction to the background lines.  Furthermore, the background lines in each cell are opposite to those of an adjacent cell.  That holds for going up and down on the pillar or going around the pillar. The shapes also are different on adjacent sides.

How many colors do you need to make art? In a sense here there is only one color. Only pattern and shadow lines distinguish the regions. Wow. 

Remember LeWitt said that the idea makes the work.  Instructions, similar to our description, could determine the work which could then be turned over to fabricators.  The pillar is so nicely tailored, you could picture it in any refined urban space.  In addition ‒ it is rewarding to study but at the same time it is unobtrusive.  That is important because some public works are flamboyant or overdone and don’t wear well.  They may also be made of materials that tarnish or deteriorate. 

                  

                

                                       Armand Arman
Contrary to LeWitt’s tailored pillar, the artist Armand Fernandez Arman makes art out of common consumer articles. In one project he artfully piled up old rotary phones. On a much larger scale, his public outdoor artwork from 1982, consists of automobiles set into concrete. Its appropriate title is --- Long Term Parking.


             

         The concreted stack of cars actually extends about five times taller than shown, but this closer view gives a better grasp of the details. Notice how well done it is. The cars are revealed cleanly with just the right amount showing and the positioning is so well done ‒ it is a work of art. It reminds me of the buildings and people engulfed by the ancient eruption of Vesuvius at Pompeii.
                                        Your Thoughts
        The four works shown have very different characters. The cock was meant to be temporary. What is your preference among them? Which one do you think will wear the best over time? Why? Which would you like in your neighborhood? Which might succeed even with its size changed? Which could be sold at a Christie's auction?
         Which is the most memorable to you? Why? Which has the most grandeur? Which has the most shock value? Which could most successfully have copies made? Who might want the copies? Which has the most "bang for the buck"? the least?
         Which have an idea that most likely could be adapted to make other different artworks? Which of the four artists has the most plentiful Google image search entries? Try it. Why is that so?