Quote:
Originally posted by Diane_Keaton
On the topic of missing clothes, the epitomy of The Emperor Has No Clothes is the retarded exhibition by two (likely) stinky foreigners who go by their first names only and are able to fool the retarded artsy crowd in Manhattan into thinking that hanging a bunch of sorry looking Saris is meaningful to anyone but them. 
|
The amazing thing about The Gates is not the artistic redefinition of the Central Park landscape. It's the effect it had on people.
Central Park is considered the city's oasis. In the summer, it's one of the best places to be in the city. In the winter, there isn't much going on. These two idiots managed to get everyone who would otherwise be sitting on their asses at home, out with their families to actually see something. (And these are people who aren't spending their weekends at the MET or MoMA.) The genius was only putting it up for 2 weeks, creating a sense of urgency. I mean, when will you get to see something like this again?
I went to see it on Saturday with my daughter, a friend and her niece. It was fucking freezing. But there we were, amongst thousands and thousands of other people, from the most hardened New York cynics to the biggest Bambi-eyed, clueless tourists. Comments ranged from, "What a waste of fucking money," to "This really is beautiful." People took photos, walked through the park, climbed the rocks and explored areas they probably hadn't explored in years. Adults were lining up to get on swings and everyone just seemed younger and happier.
I agree with you that its artistic merit is debatable (orange flags. okay. so?). But the real art is in how it affects people. And as far as that goes -- from the debate it raised, to motivating people to get out and see something different, to watching them turn into kids -- it was a huge success.
TM
