Monday, June 18, 2007

Two Works


Antony Gormley's Angel of the North, 1994 - on a hill overlooking Gateshead, Tyneside, UK




Arturo Ballester, Loor a los heroes, Confederacion Nacional del Trabajo poster response to the 1936 Spanish Revolution.


What do you think? Discuss.

15 comments:

MattJ said...

Also known as teh Gateshead Flasher ;)

The Moody Minstrel said...

Unconscious plagiarism?

(Hey, that argument worked for George Harrison!)

Olivia said...

So oop north there's a flasher, and down south there's an erotic gherkin? What a great combination.

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Minstrel - Not sure I've heard that one - What did George Harrison supposedly plagiarise?

And in the end, everything you've seen unconsciously shapes everything you create. You can only draw from what exists in your own mind, right?

AmitL said...

Hi,Olivia...both pics not visible out here.:)

Lotus Reads said...

Cool, I love his work....the Angel does look very much like a Protector/Guardian, either that or it just wants to take off into the heavens!

Prerona said...

i really liked the first picture - had seen this around the plac but hadnt known where it came from ...

The Moody Minstrel said...

Not sure I've heard that one - What did George Harrison supposedly plagiarise?

George Harrison's song "My Sweet Lord" bears a very strong and suspicious resemblance to a number by a group called The Chiffons. They pressed charges. In the end, the judge accepted George's "unconscious plagiarism" argument. He still wound up having to pay damages, but it was only a fraction of what The Chiffons demanded.

That's why George changed "My Sweet Lord" a little in his 2000 version. The remake didn't resemble the Chiffons' song so much.

Selba said...

Olivia... you can tag someone from my tag! ;) check out my latest post!

Olivia said...

Amit - sorry, it was late and Flickr was easier than Webshots.

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Lotus - I think as an angel, he is being guardian.

Gormley has also posted a number of lifesize bronze casts of himself on top of buildings around one part of London. They look down silently at the swirling masses below. Somewhat eerie.

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Ricercar - not too far from you.

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Minstrel - yesterday afternoon a friend of mine read this post and called me at work rather than leave a comment - he mentioned the plagiarism too, but couldn't remember the Chiffons.

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Selba - my second tag for the week!

Beenzzz said...

I like the second one better...which is actually the first one. :)

Dan said...

Wow, the one on the hill is really beautiful. Can you just walk right up to it? Can someone just knock it down or deface it? Maybe it's bigger than it appears.

Olivia said...

Beenz - so in a way, you like them both...

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Dan - it's huge, it is. 65 ft high (20m) with a wingspan of 175 ft (54m). And yes, you can go straight up to it. It is made of steel containing copper and has oxidised to form that warm patina.

Um Naief said...

these, for some reason, remind me of the old pin up girls that were on the planes flying into combat. why... not sure... but that's what comes to mind.

the posters give a sense of power... which is always good against the opponent.

Anonymous said...

I like the angel, but I have to say, I find Gormley to be generally a bit pretentious and pointless.

bint battuta said...

Hi there. I love the juxtaposition of these two! I like a lot of Gormley's work. And he frequently uses his own body for the casts. Have you seen the Iron Man in Victoria Square in Birmingham?