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Friday, March 11, 2011

Sculpture and US Imperialism


We were at the state capital dropping off a proposal when we noticed this 1986 sculpture by Robert McGee.

It's made with the best of intentions, honoring all who've served in the US military....but does it really mean what it is saying?

A US soldier with a rifle is standing atop the deserted world. A man, a gun, an empty planet under surveillance.

The large globe is perfunctorily modeled. Gobs of clay smeared randomly, lumpy mashed potatoes for the Himalayas.

No beauty of the seven seas is rendered. Instead grid lines of rational thought. There's not even attention paid to US war sites: Vietnam, Korea, etc

The pedestal allows water to pool around the base, and contributes to the unintentional illusion that the world sphere is deflating.

The sculpture is sited along a green walk, inviting reflection.

It made me think how important it is for sculptors to draw everything out - both forms AND ideas, before beginning modeling.


A good idea may not be the right idea.

Deflating world view.

1 comment:

kara rane said...

completely true. some art- in it's badness- reveals a certain perspective that is actually right,,if not intentional or beautiful>>the message is still delivered...a soldier with violence on top of an empty world is deflated, alone.