June 3, 2006

Another one of those art-cow things...

Madison's got one of these art-cow things going on this summer:

Cows

You feel compelled to stop and take a photo:

Cows

UPDATE: That's Chris in the second photo, and here's his photo essay from the same walk. (Warning: snakes!)

7 comments:

chuck b. said...

These chitzy public art jobs are so tired, and I don't care if they're for charity. There's always the Van Gogh one, the Mondrian one, the Picasso one... makes me wanna hurl.

knox said...

We have bears here in Knoxville. Cute for kids, I guess.

mtrobertsattorney said...

Hey, I'll take an art cow any day over a soup can.

hygate said...

They were all over Florence the last time my wife and I were in Italy. They're bad enough in isolation, but seeing them right after coming out of the Duomo or in a Piazza, contrasting with the spectacular architecture, they look really chintzy.

Ann Althouse said...

Cows in Venice! How awful. Awful in NYC too. But it started in Chicago, where the stockyards are historically important. And cows are relevant to Madison too. Though Ithese public displays are done too much, the original Chicago one, being surprising, was a delight, and the one in Madison now does fit the city rather well. Adults can be snobby about pop art things -- especially when they block sidewalk traffic -- but think of how they make children feel.

It really is cool for them. They were running all over the city yesterday. Some of the cows were right outside the museum: they'll lure some families inside. Some are outside the Capitol, and lots of kids were inside, enjoying the glories of the extravagant marble and the lofty dome. (I heard one father saying to a little girl, "No, the President lives in Washington.")

MadisonMan said...

I will echo Ann and say it makes perfect sense for cows to be around any city in Wisconsin. It's especially appropriate that they're rolled out at the beginning of June Dairy Month.

I'm sorry all you city sophisticates see them as cliched.

Galvanized said...

I adore the CowParade! Art can be fun and folksy and, well, gaudy. I believe that they auction these for a lot of money, much for charity. I would love one in my backyard!