No, my underwear is not in bunch over the MLK statue. They hated the Vietnam Memorial, until they didn't. Haters--both of modern art AND progress in civil rights--will hate. And these are two distinct groups of haters. Let's give the work of art the same period of reflection that the Vietnam Memorial got and let's see what people say (it's about 200 yards from my office, I'll have a chance to see how people react--and my reaction--in the Spring when we'll have a better idea. Past all the angst that has flooded the media.)
I don't think the sculpture is so bad in the history of weird statement modern art like the famous crucifix in a jar of urine. The world definitely deserves not hearing Megan Kelly's take on it.
Wow. I am so disappointed in this commentary. I seldom comment, ever. But, I have to today. I have been faithfully following your commentary for several years now. I thought this was the place where reason could always be found. This young black artist created a modern art piece that symbolizes Love, A Universal Embrace, which was what MLK was all about. The artist dedicated this piece to his grandmother and his solid upbringing that was founded on the principles that MLK lived. And here you have given space for all the attention getting perverts who are trying to sexualize this beautiful interpretative piece. It passed a lot of scrutiny before it was placed. Oh boy, get back on the real, important issues and apologizes to the artist.
Nobody goes to to the Vietnam Memorial to see the " Three Soldiers at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial," they go to see The Wall. Which is perhaps the greatest piece of public art from the 20th century.
It is hard to get the impact of a large public sculpture in a picture. But just from the picture it is apparent that this is a very good piece of public art. It along with the people viewing it very much capture the essence of the civil right movement.
And yes twitter will be rude and crude in their comments and "conservatives" wanting "real art" will struggle to understand. Both btw are part of the normal reaction to any new art.
I have read a number of opinion pieces about "The Embrace". An interesting one is by Phil Boas in the Arizona Republic, Jan 18, 2023. I appreciate his sentiment that the artist is asking the viewer to complete the image. If people are completing the image based on their own cognitive abilities and seeing sexual innuendo, that is where their mind takes them.
The scale of the sculpture is such that people will be able to interact with the piece unlike another life size sculpture depicting MLK and CSK's likeness.
I applaud the artist for his vision and believe that others will learn to appreciate the beauty of the work in time. Look forward to a trip to Boston to see this new and thoughtful piece of art.
Not just our art has become ugly and uninspired... so has our society, and especially our politics. Why does everything Gaetz and MTG and Gosar say and do have to be so ugly? If Truth is Beauty and Beauty Truth... then what does that make them?
MLKjr definitely deserves better, and as you say Charlie, so do we all...
Let's make this the day we insist on both Truth and Beauty in everything we do and say and create.
Charlie, your piece today is very similar to the art piece you talk about. Both seem to be missing pieces.
You have an easy way to fix this and add thoughts about Santos that you want to highlight. The artist on the other hand has to lay everything out there and just take all the critiquing
And the odds that everyone was going to like ANY large piece of commemorative art of this nature...0. And that it will make people stop and possibly assess what MLK meant for them...fine.
Sorry folks but contemporary artists do have skill - they are moving back to painting what is recognizable. And re this: There were notable exceptions to all of this — sculptors like Frederick hart who continued to produce powerful and deeply human works of art like the Three Soldiers at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, or the magnificently beautiful Ex Nihilo at the National ...... no the Three Soldiers is at best kitsch. It should be removed and destroyed. I say this as a trained artist. It is fair to lament much of post Ww2 art, but art follows trends and those trends are over.
The three soldiers was an unfortunate reaction (racist reaction) to the Vietnam War memorial which was far more evocative of grief and sorrow than any realistic sculpture.
If you look at even the best portraiture, well here is how John Singer Sargeant summarizes it: A Portrait is a Likeness with something wrong about the mouth.
The new sculpture may not get it right. But even the most realistic image can miss the mark - most do.
Actually, some of that ICU art sounds pretty cool.
"By 1982, no ambitious artist was going to display skill, even if he had it." That's spot on. And it was happening much earlier than that. Some of Picasso's work has grown on me, but the man, as early as his teens, had completely mastered realistic draftsmanship, and he just got bored with it, I guess. But some of what passes for great contemporary art, like Basquiat, just looks like what came home from the Kindergartener, which mom sticks on the fridge to make the little tyke feel accomplished and talented.
I've always loved the realistic art from before all of this "too sophisticated to care" stuff that popped up in the twentieth century, because it's beautiful, and because the care, time, and skill that went into making it shows that humans are capable of creating things almost miraculous.
MLK Deserved Better. He's Not Alone
Turning comments off this version of todays’s Morning Shots. Corrected version of this edition here: https://morningshots.thebulwark.com/p/mlk-deserved-better-hes-not-alone-879/comments
No, my underwear is not in bunch over the MLK statue. They hated the Vietnam Memorial, until they didn't. Haters--both of modern art AND progress in civil rights--will hate. And these are two distinct groups of haters. Let's give the work of art the same period of reflection that the Vietnam Memorial got and let's see what people say (it's about 200 yards from my office, I'll have a chance to see how people react--and my reaction--in the Spring when we'll have a better idea. Past all the angst that has flooded the media.)
Hot take: if we want better public art, maybe we should fund art education in public schools.
You want public art that's accessible to the common man? Fund art education so that art world isn't dominated by trust fund babies.
I don't think the sculpture is so bad in the history of weird statement modern art like the famous crucifix in a jar of urine. The world definitely deserves not hearing Megan Kelly's take on it.
"Plus: The Santos story keeps getting worse"
Is it just my subscription, or are others wondering where this story is?
Wow. I am so disappointed in this commentary. I seldom comment, ever. But, I have to today. I have been faithfully following your commentary for several years now. I thought this was the place where reason could always be found. This young black artist created a modern art piece that symbolizes Love, A Universal Embrace, which was what MLK was all about. The artist dedicated this piece to his grandmother and his solid upbringing that was founded on the principles that MLK lived. And here you have given space for all the attention getting perverts who are trying to sexualize this beautiful interpretative piece. It passed a lot of scrutiny before it was placed. Oh boy, get back on the real, important issues and apologizes to the artist.
Nobody goes to to the Vietnam Memorial to see the " Three Soldiers at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial," they go to see The Wall. Which is perhaps the greatest piece of public art from the 20th century.
It is hard to get the impact of a large public sculpture in a picture. But just from the picture it is apparent that this is a very good piece of public art. It along with the people viewing it very much capture the essence of the civil right movement.
And yes twitter will be rude and crude in their comments and "conservatives" wanting "real art" will struggle to understand. Both btw are part of the normal reaction to any new art.
I have read a number of opinion pieces about "The Embrace". An interesting one is by Phil Boas in the Arizona Republic, Jan 18, 2023. I appreciate his sentiment that the artist is asking the viewer to complete the image. If people are completing the image based on their own cognitive abilities and seeing sexual innuendo, that is where their mind takes them.
The scale of the sculpture is such that people will be able to interact with the piece unlike another life size sculpture depicting MLK and CSK's likeness.
I applaud the artist for his vision and believe that others will learn to appreciate the beauty of the work in time. Look forward to a trip to Boston to see this new and thoughtful piece of art.
Not just our art has become ugly and uninspired... so has our society, and especially our politics. Why does everything Gaetz and MTG and Gosar say and do have to be so ugly? If Truth is Beauty and Beauty Truth... then what does that make them?
MLKjr definitely deserves better, and as you say Charlie, so do we all...
Let's make this the day we insist on both Truth and Beauty in everything we do and say and create.
Charlie, your piece today is very similar to the art piece you talk about. Both seem to be missing pieces.
You have an easy way to fix this and add thoughts about Santos that you want to highlight. The artist on the other hand has to lay everything out there and just take all the critiquing
And the odds that everyone was going to like ANY large piece of commemorative art of this nature...0. And that it will make people stop and possibly assess what MLK meant for them...fine.
Sorry folks but contemporary artists do have skill - they are moving back to painting what is recognizable. And re this: There were notable exceptions to all of this — sculptors like Frederick hart who continued to produce powerful and deeply human works of art like the Three Soldiers at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, or the magnificently beautiful Ex Nihilo at the National ...... no the Three Soldiers is at best kitsch. It should be removed and destroyed. I say this as a trained artist. It is fair to lament much of post Ww2 art, but art follows trends and those trends are over.
The three soldiers was an unfortunate reaction (racist reaction) to the Vietnam War memorial which was far more evocative of grief and sorrow than any realistic sculpture.
If you look at even the best portraiture, well here is how John Singer Sargeant summarizes it: A Portrait is a Likeness with something wrong about the mouth.
The new sculpture may not get it right. But even the most realistic image can miss the mark - most do.
Is there a paragraph missing around the Frederick Hart image? Feels like there's a subject jump.
Sometimes I get duplicate emails of Morning Shots - maybe the Santos part is in the duplicate I've yet to get? . . . And HERE IT IS! :-)
Actually, some of that ICU art sounds pretty cool.
"By 1982, no ambitious artist was going to display skill, even if he had it." That's spot on. And it was happening much earlier than that. Some of Picasso's work has grown on me, but the man, as early as his teens, had completely mastered realistic draftsmanship, and he just got bored with it, I guess. But some of what passes for great contemporary art, like Basquiat, just looks like what came home from the Kindergartener, which mom sticks on the fridge to make the little tyke feel accomplished and talented.
I've always loved the realistic art from before all of this "too sophisticated to care" stuff that popped up in the twentieth century, because it's beautiful, and because the care, time, and skill that went into making it shows that humans are capable of creating things almost miraculous.
The scultur has earned all the invective hurled his way!