day at the grounds for sculpture - part 3

May 24, 2018 in 2018

42 acres of the estrangement effect

If your idea of a typical park visit is a mindless relaxing strolling in natural surroundings you better do it somewhere else. This park with its huge collection of sculptures of monumental proportions, 3-dimensional imitations of the iconic 2-dimensional images, super realistic human-size statues of common people, sculptures of deconstructed bodies and abstract figures, all strategically placed in the magnificently landscaped arboretum creates a strong estrangement effect. The alienation technique implemented in the park design forces the visitors to see common things in an unfamiliar or strange way and demands intellectual efforts to decipher artists' concepts for themselves .

I visited the park again and again and every time this enchanted feeding ground for thoughts did its trick. This time was no exception.

And for a change some creatures living in the park

day at the grounds for sculpture - part 2

May 02, 2015 in 2015

the commoners

After numerous visits to the garden it seems to me that garden dwellers fall into one of three categories: "photo-opportunists", "molbertists", and "french-foodies".

The most common type, photo-opportunists, are ladies and gentlemen armed with all kind of cameras from smart phones to professional monsters. You can come across them practically anywhere.

Molbertists, artistically inclined ladies accompanied by their easels, are shy species that mostly meditate near scenic reflecting surfaces of water, one can observe them if approaches very cautiously.

French-foodies personify human beings attracted by French cuisine. They are abundant in the vicinity of the Zagat-rated Rat's restaurant featuring country French cuisine.

A lot of times strategically placed life-size people-look-alike sculptures confuse the Grounds for Sculpture visitors. The following images I posted here as a public service will allow you to identify at least most of the real persons you will meet in the garden and to avoid the confusion.

A young molbertist unaware of the time travelers presence — A young *molbertist* unaware of the time travelers presence

Is she real? A khaki-hatted molbertist observing a sculpture, a red-hatted molbertist is hiding behind trees — Is she real? A *khaki-hatted molbertist* observing a sculpture, a *red-hatted molbertist* is hiding behind trees

A red-hatted molbertist — A *red-hatted molbertist*

A molbertist in her natural habitat — A *molbertist* in her natural habitat

There should be the giant lady somewhere around — There should be the giant lady somewhere around

day at the grounds for sculpture - part 1

April 25, 2015 in 2015

the mighty men

'...Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.'
Genesis 6:4

Grounds For Sculpture is a public garden of contemporary outdoor sculptures situated on the forty two exquisitely landscaped acres. It was founded in 1992 by a widely recognized American sculptor, John Seward Johnson. At the time of my visit the garden featured a lifetime collection of Johnson's works - 'Seward Johnson: The Retrospective'.

Johnson is best known for his painted bronze statues some of them of monumental proportions. In many cases the statues look like 3-dimensional imitations of the iconic 2-dimensional images. Johnson's implementation of this postmodern style is highly artistic. However, it moves classically trained viewers out of their comfort zone; it was labeled an "Americana kitsch" by art purists but was a success with audiences.

The funny thing is that the Western sculpting tradition was strongly influenced by Greek Classical and Hellenistic statues and their Roman copies. These statues unearthed during Renaissance period showed the bare surface of the material of which they were made. Since then the bare surface was considered the hallmark of artistic sculptures. Ironically, it was discovered recently that original Greek statues were brightly painted, but after thousands of years, those paints have worn away. In light of this discovery, the Johnson's works look purely traditionalistic in the true sense of the word.