Artwork

Richard Serra’s Tilted Arc was a controversial artwork that was highly contested in the 1980s. The tilted arc was sufficient to be called so as it was a 3.7 meters high steel wall and which spanned 35 meters long. It was necessary to be called a tilted arc mainly because of two main things. One is that it was tilted at an angle such that is seemed to lean to one side (https://publicdelivery.org/richard-serra-tilted-arc/). It was sufficient to be called, “tilted” because it did not stand like a wall. It rather leaned to one side and hence the view of it as tilted was justified. Again, the Tilted Arc was magnificent because it still did not lie on a straight line. It was somewhat curved in such a manner that one walking alongside it could seem like they were moving around it. 

The Tilted Arc ought not to have been removed. According to Richard Serra, the artwork was meant to grace the federal plaza. It was not meant to be an obscuring nuisance as people who revolted against thought. It was instead a symbol that should have made the passersby realize that they were waking in indeed a different environment and the arc ought to have made visitors reflect on the magnificence of the place they were visiting. The art was therefore made in the best interests of the plaza and that of the people too and therefore ought not to have been destroyed. Indeed, there is confidential information that Title Arc is an artwork since it is done by curving steel wall through public funding. Richard Serra has effectively communicated his idea since he uses curving walls, hence, making it easy for the viewers to recognize himself while moving through the plaza. 

Fig. 1 (Richard Serra’s Tilted Arc): https://publicdelivery.org/richard-serra-tilted-arc/

Another artwork that has been highly disputed is the Forever Marilyn which is an artwork by Seward Johnson. Forever Marilyn is an artwork that was created to show the grace of Marilyn Monroe an icon in the film, The Seven Year Itch. The artwork which was a kind of sculpture was an icon of Marilyn Monroe and was located in the Pioneer court in Chicago. Just like in the case of Richard Serra’s Tilted Arc, Seward’s art was highly criticized and even vandalized. Most people believed that the artwork was irrelevant in Chicago as Marilyn; neither participate in the shooting of the film nor found in any aspect of Chicago. Seward, however, had a different thought while establishing the statue which stood 26-foot tall. The construction of this statue was privately funded, and the person who came with this idea hoped that the public or government will later purchase this artwork (https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/the-10-most-controversial-works-of-public-art/). 

The art was supposed to be a photo-op site for tourists who love the way that Marilyn performs in The Seven Year Itch movie and hence make Chicago a better attraction to tourists than it was before.  Just like the Tilted Arc, the Forever Marilyn had to be relocated from Chicago to California because it was largely opposed and even vandalized (https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/the-10-most-controversial-works-of-public-art/). The art was expected to serve the artistic expression of the five purposes of art but it was not realized because the creator was not site-specific.  Seward ought to have considered California in the very first stance as it was the city that was the city where the original city where the film was set. Seward fully funded it and he only wanted to show his interests in the movie while benefitting the city. I believe that the art was made for the right purposes since the maker of the statue was only showing his interests in the film and his like for Marilyn Monroe, the star who made the film of interest to many. 

Fig. 2 (The Forever Marilyn Statue): https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/the-10-most-controversial-works-of-public-art/

Response to the Post

According to the group’s mate post, Title Arc is a 1980s controversial artwork by Richard Serra. In this case, I do not fully agree with my colleague that this artwork was meant to make the viewer create awareness about Richard Serra while moving the plaza. In my personal view, I can consider this sculptor to have failed to align with the law applied in the artwork. To be specific, Richard’s work seems to have deflected the explosions into the national buildings through erecting a structure acting as surveillance. Based on the above information, the Title Arc represents a rebellious artistic expression. On the other hand, the above person has talked about Mary Ann Unger’s artwork known as Wave. Indeed, this individual holds that the Wave was created to take a shape of a shell, it instead resembled fish try to jump out of the water. In this case, I agree with the author of the post who considers wave as an artistic expression where Mary tries to speak out her feelings and ideas through by using art. 

Works Cited

Stanley, Courtney. “The 10 Most Controversial Works Of Public Art.” Culture Trip. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Jan. 2019. Retrieved from: https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/the-10-most-controversial-works-of-public-art/

“What Made Richard Serra’s ‘Tilted Arc’ Sculpture So Controversial?.” Public Delivery. N.p., 2011. Web. 14 Jan. 2019. Retrieved from: https://publicdelivery.org/richard-serra-tilted-arc/