Artist:
Magdalena Abakanowicz
Title:
Agora
Year:
2006
Adress:
Grant Park
An sculpture that calls for the best
Walking Figures by Magdalena Abakanowicz is an artwork of eight figures with legs and a torso but no arms or head. The people have breasts; these are men. Eight men who walk in the same direction. It feels slightly threatening because they all walk in the same direction. Because they have no arms, they can not help and certainly not embrace each other.
The Walking Figures have one leg forward; the left or right leg. They seem to walk forward. All of them have the same athletic figure, approximately with the same height, with large feet. The rags which to paste the bodies look unattractive. There are no knees or buttocks to see; only straight legs. A threat is palpable, even though the emotion is not visible, because nothing can be derived from the bodies because they are 'neutral'. The work of art feels unsatisfying because making contact is not possible.
What will Magdalena Abakanowicz like to say? The fact that it can mean multiple figures are that comment is given on the society. If the one person would be, it would be one on one confrontation can touch. Probably this is a confrontation with a society that uniform, closed, not helpful, hostile, is unattractive.
Walking Figures by Magdalena Abakanowicz gives such a melancholy picture of the society that you would like to be like soft, warm and helpful.
By Theo, www.artatsite.com
Een beeld dat het beste naar boven roept
Walking Figures van Magdalena Abakanowicz is een kunstwerk van acht figuren met benen en een romp maar geen armen of hoofd. De personen hebben borsten; dit zijn mannen. Acht mannen die dezelfde kant op lopen. Voelt enigszins bedreigend omdat ze allen tegelijk in dezelfde richting lopen. Omdat zij geen armen hebben kunnen zij niet helpen en zeker niet omhelzen.
De Walking Figures hebben één been naar voren; het linker- of rechterbeen. Ze lijken naar voren te lopen. Allen hetzelfde athletische figuur, ongeveer met dezelfde hoogte, met grote voeten. De lompen die aan de lichamen plakken zien er onaantrekkelijk uit. Er zijn geen knieën of billen te zien; alleen rechte benen. Een dreiging is voelbaar, ook al is de emotie niet zichtbaar, omdat uit de lichamen niets afgeleid kan worden omdat zij ‘neutraal’ zijn. Het kunstwerk voelt onbevredigend omdat contact maken niet mogelijk is.
Wat zal Magdalena Abakanowicz willen zeggen? Het feit dat het meerdere figuren zijn kan betekenen dat commentaar wordt gegeven op de samenleving. Als het één persoon zou zijn, zou het één op één confrontatie kunnen aanvoelen. Waarschijnlijk is dit een confrontatie met een samenleving die éénvormig, gesloten, niet behulpzaam, vijandig, onaantrekkelijk is.
Walking Figures van Magdalena Abakanowicz geeft een dermate zwartgallig beeld van de samenleving dat je graag zacht, warm en behulpzaam zou willen worden.
Door Theo, www.artatsite.com
www.artatsite.com:
This work is alson knowned as "Walking Figures" and once stood in New York(link to more information).
www.publicartinchicago.com:
'Agora,' a permanent installation in the Grant Park, by Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz. It consists of 106 headless armless cast iron figures, each about 9 feet tall, shell like, frozen in walking movement.
The figures are similar in general shape, but different in details. Models for each figure were made by hand, by the artist and her three assistants. The surfaces of figures are like a tree bark or wrinkled face expressing a different individuality of each sculpture.
www.wikipedia.org:
The name Agora refers to the urban meeting places of the Ancient Greek city-states. Abakanowicz, who grew up during World War II, has said that her art draws on her fear of crowds, which she once described as"brainless organisms acting on command, worshiping on command and hating on command". However, the work has inspired optimistic interpretations. Kevin Nance of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "If they had arms and hands (they don't), these would be clasped behind their backs as if in contemplation. They seem, somehow, to be thinking, not as a group but as individuals. [...] It's possible, in fact, to interpret the piece as a representation of democracy."[
Agora received a mixed response from the people of Chicago."I get e-mails from people loving it and people hating it. There's nothing in between, " said Bob O'Neill of the Grant Park Advisory Council. Mayor Daley lauded the work, saying, "You've got to go through it yourself to feel the spirit of the artist and each piece of artwork.
Walking Figures by Magdalena Abakanowicz is an artwork of eight figures with legs and a torso but no arms or head. The people have breasts; these are men. Eight men who walk in the same direction. It feels slightly threatening because they all walk in the same direction. Because they have no arms, they can not help and certainly not embrace each other.
The Walking Figures have one leg forward; the left or right leg. They seem to walk forward. All of them have the same athletic figure, approximately with the same height, with large feet. The rags which to paste the bodies look unattractive. There are no knees or buttocks to see; only straight legs. A threat is palpable, even though the emotion is not visible, because nothing can be derived from the bodies because they are 'neutral'. The work of art feels unsatisfying because making contact is not possible.
What will Magdalena Abakanowicz like to say? The fact that it can mean multiple figures are that comment is given on the society. If the one person would be, it would be one on one confrontation can touch. Probably this is a confrontation with a society that uniform, closed, not helpful, hostile, is unattractive.
Walking Figures by Magdalena Abakanowicz gives such a melancholy picture of the society that you would like to be like soft, warm and helpful.
By Theo, www.artatsite.com
Een beeld dat het beste naar boven roept
Walking Figures van Magdalena Abakanowicz is een kunstwerk van acht figuren met benen en een romp maar geen armen of hoofd. De personen hebben borsten; dit zijn mannen. Acht mannen die dezelfde kant op lopen. Voelt enigszins bedreigend omdat ze allen tegelijk in dezelfde richting lopen. Omdat zij geen armen hebben kunnen zij niet helpen en zeker niet omhelzen.
De Walking Figures hebben één been naar voren; het linker- of rechterbeen. Ze lijken naar voren te lopen. Allen hetzelfde athletische figuur, ongeveer met dezelfde hoogte, met grote voeten. De lompen die aan de lichamen plakken zien er onaantrekkelijk uit. Er zijn geen knieën of billen te zien; alleen rechte benen. Een dreiging is voelbaar, ook al is de emotie niet zichtbaar, omdat uit de lichamen niets afgeleid kan worden omdat zij ‘neutraal’ zijn. Het kunstwerk voelt onbevredigend omdat contact maken niet mogelijk is.
Wat zal Magdalena Abakanowicz willen zeggen? Het feit dat het meerdere figuren zijn kan betekenen dat commentaar wordt gegeven op de samenleving. Als het één persoon zou zijn, zou het één op één confrontatie kunnen aanvoelen. Waarschijnlijk is dit een confrontatie met een samenleving die éénvormig, gesloten, niet behulpzaam, vijandig, onaantrekkelijk is.
Walking Figures van Magdalena Abakanowicz geeft een dermate zwartgallig beeld van de samenleving dat je graag zacht, warm en behulpzaam zou willen worden.
Door Theo, www.artatsite.com
www.artatsite.com:
This work is alson knowned as "Walking Figures" and once stood in New York(link to more information).
www.publicartinchicago.com:
'Agora,' a permanent installation in the Grant Park, by Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz. It consists of 106 headless armless cast iron figures, each about 9 feet tall, shell like, frozen in walking movement.
The figures are similar in general shape, but different in details. Models for each figure were made by hand, by the artist and her three assistants. The surfaces of figures are like a tree bark or wrinkled face expressing a different individuality of each sculpture.
www.wikipedia.org:
The name Agora refers to the urban meeting places of the Ancient Greek city-states. Abakanowicz, who grew up during World War II, has said that her art draws on her fear of crowds, which she once described as"brainless organisms acting on command, worshiping on command and hating on command". However, the work has inspired optimistic interpretations. Kevin Nance of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "If they had arms and hands (they don't), these would be clasped behind their backs as if in contemplation. They seem, somehow, to be thinking, not as a group but as individuals. [...] It's possible, in fact, to interpret the piece as a representation of democracy."[
Agora received a mixed response from the people of Chicago."I get e-mails from people loving it and people hating it. There's nothing in between, " said Bob O'Neill of the Grant Park Advisory Council. Mayor Daley lauded the work, saying, "You've got to go through it yourself to feel the spirit of the artist and each piece of artwork.