Analysis of twentieth-century architecture and its community impact

Art and Architecture

Architecture and Art

In a recent visit to Chicago, I observed the Chicago Picasso which was a gift to the city by the famed artist Pablo Picasso. Located in the downtown Chicago loop, the monument stands 58 feet tall, weighs 162 tons and is constructed of Cor-Ten (corrosive tensile) steel. Pablo Picasso gave this massive work of art to the city of Chicago, even though he'd never been to the city, and never went during his lifetime. The unpaid work was based on a 42-inch-tall version Pablo crafted. It was later executed by U.S. Steel Corporation ("Chicago Sculptures," 2011).

It is reported that Pablo Picasso never named his creation nor gave an explanation as to what it represents. The 3-D piece of art looks different from every angle. People have stated that it resembles a baboon; mainly because of the close-set eyes and flaring nostrils. Also, the copper maquette of the statue created by Picasso in the preliminary stages of designing this sculpture, is titled, "Tete de Baboon," or head of the baboon. Others feel that it is a sculpture of a woman; perhaps a woman named Lydia Corbette, who modeled for Picasso at the time ("Windy City Windfall,"1966). When viewed from certain angles, the sculpture can take on the profile of a woman. The sweeping/flowing lines, soft curves and symmetry also portray a feminine feel.

Another opinion is that the sculpture is a cubist representation of Picasso's Afghan hound. Strong similarities can be seen in the long, slender face as well as the Afghan dog's long, flowing hair. Others believe that it is just an abstract expression, and that everyone should respect it as such. The sculptures' lines and angles were rooted strongly in Picasso's cubist style and ideals. In Cubist artworks, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassembled in an abstracted form -- instead of depicting objects from one viewpoint, the artist depicts the subject from a multitude of viewpoints to represent the subject in a greater context ("Chicago Sculptures," 2011). This is evident in the Chicago Picasso.

In one of my favorite restaurants, an Andy Warhol art print, Campbell's Soup Cans, is prominently featured near the entrance. The unique use of color and light in unconventional ways for a very familiar and iconic consumer product capture your attention. Andy Warhol was an American artist who was a leading figure in this visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationship between art, celebrity culture and advertising very popular during the 1960s (Cummingham, 2011).

The emergence of Pop Art was a reaction to Abstract Expressionism, which was the dominating American art movement of the time. Artists like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and other members of the "The New York School" were creating huge canvases of unrecognizable shapes or explosions of paint ("Warhol Bubble,"2012). The Abstract Expressionist works were meant to represent the individual artist's psyche and demonstrated high levels of emotion.