The Gates
The Gates
Christo and Jeanne-Claude are artists who work together and create large-scale environment works. These works are temporary and they are removed from the site where they are installed, typically after about two weeks. Christo and Jeanne-Claude choose part of an environment in which to make their art and people then see the whole environment with fresh eyes, even after the artwork has been removed, for it remains in the memories of people who have viewed the transformed environment. As a whole we tend to think of art in forms of paintings or mostly two dimensional works. But Christo and Jeanne-Claude thought outside the box when creating the art work The Gates. The Gates was a project that the two artists had conceived in 1979. February 2005 the artist’s long awaited design came to life in New York City, at Central Park. The installation consisted of thousands of panels of saffron and color fabric that was suspended from slender post and lintel portals crossing twenty three miles of the walkways in Central Park at intervals of 10 to 15 feet. The artist vision was to create a new and magical environment. The artists wanted the viewers to experience The Gates as a golden ceiling casting warm shadow. The artists wanted the forms to be seen from the buildings surrounding the park, the artists stated “They will seem like a golden river appearing through the bare branches of the trees and highlighting the shape of the footpaths”. Unlike most art works the artists paid for the project themselves, no funding was given to them to complete the project. Although many viewers embraced the vision of the artists some viewers didn’t take well to this brightly color fabric hanging in a natural setting. Some thought the work was pointless and look as if the park was under construction. One critic went on to say it look like something you would wear during deer season. Another stated “Instead of spending 20 million dollars to ruin the Park with curtains that no
Christo and Jeanne-Claude are artists who work together and create large-scale environment works. These works are temporary and they are removed from the site where they are installed, typically after about two weeks. Christo and Jeanne-Claude choose part of an environment in which to make their art and people then see the whole environment with fresh eyes, even after the artwork has been removed, for it remains in the memories of people who have viewed the transformed environment. As a whole we tend to think of art in forms of paintings or mostly two dimensional works. But Christo and Jeanne-Claude thought outside the box when creating the art work The Gates. The Gates was a project that the two artists had conceived in 1979. February 2005 the artist’s long awaited design came to life in New York City, at Central Park. The installation consisted of thousands of panels of saffron and color fabric that was suspended from slender post and lintel portals crossing twenty three miles of the walkways in Central Park at intervals of 10 to 15 feet. The artist vision was to create a new and magical environment. The artists wanted the viewers to experience The Gates as a golden ceiling casting warm shadow. The artists wanted the forms to be seen from the buildings surrounding the park, the artists stated “They will seem like a golden river appearing through the bare branches of the trees and highlighting the shape of the footpaths”. Unlike most art works the artists paid for the project themselves, no funding was given to them to complete the project. Although many viewers embraced the vision of the artists some viewers didn’t take well to this brightly color fabric hanging in a natural setting. Some thought the work was pointless and look as if the park was under construction. One critic went on to say it look like something you would wear during deer season. Another stated “Instead of spending 20 million dollars to ruin the Park with curtains that no
Cited: Wikipedia contributors. "Art." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 9 Mar. 2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. Lesser,Raymond. “The Gates”. April 2005 http://www.funnytimes.com/editorials.php?editorial_id=200504. Wikipedia contributors. "The Gates." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 29 Jan. 2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2010.