What is and what isn't art is always a conversation that has consistently been a very moving and changing definition of the form. Some would argue that Fine Art is the only valid form of art, which given its extreme isolation of others expresses some hold this view. The more people try to confine art to a single definition or criteria that is too specfic the more artists break those “rules”, and redefine. For this particular conversion Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s, “The Gates” showcases the ongoing debate of what is art and how many view it.
Meet the Artists
The artists are Christo and Jeanne-Claude, they are a couple who are known for their large scaled works that har created based on the specific environment that they are working on at the time. Christo was a Bulgairan artist who studied at Fine Arts Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria, but when war broke out in his home country he lived in a few different places until he moved to Paris where he started his life in exhibitions of his work. While at Paris during his work he met Jeanne-Claude and then the two married. However later on in life both moved to New York where the duo continued their work in large scale installations.
What was "The Gates"?
Christo’s “The Gates' ' was an outdoor installation piece that was exhibited on February 12, 2005 in Central Park, New York . There were a total of 7,503 gates and their dimensions of each of the gates 16 feet tall and the width were between 5 feet 6 inches to 18 feet. Along with this the overall materials used for the production were steel,vinyl tubing and bright yellow nylon fabric. The materials themselves after the 16 day long exhibition were removed and recycled. Interestingly enough but problem not so much in the case of Chritso and Jeanne-Claude, they financed their project themselves as they had done for the majority of their artworks; however there is speculation on the total cost of the project which suggests it cost about 21 million USD. The installation was not done by Christo and Jeanne-Claude but they had the aid of 600 workers where 100 gates per a team erected each gate. The visitors varied as the gates were in the middle of the Central part and the park was still able to be used as such but those who saw it from a far it seemed like a golden river that vanished behind the trees and such.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, The Gates, 1979-2005, © 2005 Christo and Jeanne-Claude
Who did not like "The Gates" and Why?
The project received mixed singles by its viewers ranging from a ray of opinions that it was beatuital to it being seen as a waste of time and money. However, the main controversy that caused the exhibition to be put on hold for about 26 years was that 1 people saw the design as being instructive on the nature of Central Park and then the second issue was that there could have been possible drilling to keep the structures up. Through point one has always been a common issue artists have face with public outdoor works through with Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work it wasnt changing the routes or being a nuisance to the walkers rather it utilized the paths that were already cut out and the structures were not drilled in rather made to stand on their own.
For the community at large it simply depended on the persons and even ages at the time of whether or not the production of the work was worth the trouble and cost it created. Some would suggest that it was a waste and completely, some would say this was a beautiful attention to the park and that it was a true experience to be able to walk through. There was no political influence here although the election of Micheal Bloomberg who was a fan of Christo and Jeanne-Claude may have played a role; this is just speculation. However the trouble that Crristo went through to get this project approved really highlighted the personal and financials of this project that it came with. The whole project was funded off of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s own money that they made from the sales of their own artworks, they had no help whatsoever for the financing of this project and it was also made clear this project was funded by the public's money. Which highlights the pure artistic value and personalized goals of the production of this work.
Is "The Gates" art?
According to the definition that as a geneal idea of what art as established in the last entry, Christos’ The Gates project is considered to be art. Given that this project falls in all four cretaiers for what is considered art, this being: an object that is produced by a human with an intent for aesthetic, it’s an original peirce, there is certainly a level of technical skill art work and planning, lastly it pushes the boundaries of what art can be seen as. Especially the last point is true for this work as there are many mixed views when it comes to this project as for some it seems to serve no purpose, it's too abstract to be understood while for others see the true beauty of it and how it highlights the park's natural environment of hilliness. When it comes to the value of the project there is quite a bit of value placed in the artistic and sentimental categories when it comes to viewing and analyzing this work. There is Artistic value as intention, experimentation and an execution of the creation of the gateways. As for the sentimental value the materials used and the length of the exhibition speaks to Chritso’s beliefs of how art is to be viewed and appreciated. The use of recycled materials and the two week window in which this project was up for speaks to the importance and urgency for art to be seen, especially for a work such as this that can end up being seen as a fixture rather than a product of creative thought of the artist.
Opinion Piece
I tend to lean towards the perspective of some of both the viewers and artist when it comes to the interpretations of this world and its purpose in the artworld. Although it's a simple stance that some viewers saw this work as, it's simply stunning and interactive without being intrusive to one's space. In my opinion Christo and Jeanne-Claude action to make the exhibition of the work only on view for two weeks in order to drive home the need of their point of the creation of the project which was to showcase the temporary nature that is of art in their vision. Given the intent and the materials used I would consider this work to be art in the most abstract way where literally it can be seen as just as useless as a broken pencil but just as beautiful as a fine art piece such as the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci.
Given the nature of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work it is a work of art and like many works that have broken the mold and have challenged what is art along with the value for the work it adds a dimension to the conversation. Art is a free flowing form that in its very nature is a form of expression for the artist and always up for interpretation of the beholders of the works presented to them.
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