Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] Library sculpture

[Michael <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

> Phillistine. :-)

Maybe, I have no class I guess.

> OK, so let's work this out, shall we?  Albert Paley is, as living
> sculptors go, pretty famous.  Many people do and have appreciated
> his work.  He's not the kind of artist who hangs around cafes all
> day desperately waiting for the commission that will make his
> reputation.  His time is actually worth something, so if you want
> the guy to design and execute *2* fairly enormous sculptures, it
> will not be especially cheap.  (Heck, the work can be fairly
> dangerous; the reason he won't be at the library dedication is that
> he just got out of the hospital after being treated for extensive
> 2nd and 3rd degree burns he got when his welding torch slipped.) My
> rough guess is that this work probably required about 1000 hours of
> his time (including designs, prototypes, back and forth stuff with
> the architects and the library board, etc.), and probably 1000 hours
> of various lackeys and assistants.  And rent on a place big enough
> to hold stuff like this.  Having said that, $240K is arguably still
> a pretty high price, although how high I wouldn't really know since
> I don't know how much the alternatives would have been.

Not saying he didn't work hard for the money or doesn't have talent (I
haven't seen the statues since I'm not in Columbia) but it's still not a
very good use of money. You can create art without spending a lot. You
don't need to spend a fortune to touch people. I'd also rather see the
money spent on supporting many small works from young artists than a
couple book works from an established artist.

> I'd guess they donated the money because the possibility that great
> public art would soon be seen in Columbia excited them, and that
> they thought it would bring them and others pleasure.  Not every
> piece of art is a masterpiece, of course; there is some risk.  It
> may turn out that nobody will think very much of these sculptures
> now or even in the future.  That would be sad, but I can't say that
> I'm annoyed that somebody tried to do *something*.

Again, great art doesn't need to cost a lot and despite the appeal of art
(I think it's the next highest achievement of mankind after science) the
money could be better spent.

> So, Michael: are you handy with steel-working tools?  Word on the
> street is that public sculpture is the fast ticket to a more
> comfortable life. :-)

If I could afford the tools I'd probably be okay with them. I tend to be
good at that sort of thing. However, I'm not a very good artist and am to
honest to just throw off some bullshit and charge people money for it. So
I guess I'll hafta keep trying to earn a living writing opensource
software and answering peoples tech questions. Considering I'd be very
lucky to make $2500 for 1000 hours of my work I still think $250,000 a bit
much. ;)

--
To unsubscribe, go to http://mlug.missouri.edu/members/edit.php

Archives are available at http://mlug.missouri.edu/list-archives/