Althouse: "Look!... You see! It falls in that way so you can see the movement.... It’s actually breathing."

June 17, 2016

"Look!... You see! It falls in that way so you can see the movement.... It’s actually breathing."

Wow! Beautiful! I love Christo. Read about his "Floating Piers" — 3 miles of fabric connecting 2 islands in Italy.

31 comments:

Jim Grey said...: I met Christo when I was a teenager. He had a show at the art museum at Notre Dame and the director there was my dad's best friend. When he entered the room, you could feel it even if you didn't see him enter. But he has a limp handshake.; 6/17/16, 12:48 PM
John henry said...: Sounds like phart to me.

I'd credit the commenter who taught me the word if I remembered who it was

John Henry; 6/17/16, 12:49 PM
Ficta said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/17/16, 1:12 PM
MeatPopscicle1234 said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/17/16, 1:13 PM
Ficta said...: Simply lovely. Christo is wonderful. Seeing "Running Fence" on PBS when I was a teenager changed my life. At least I got to see "The Gates" in person.; 6/17/16, 1:13 PM
Todd said...: OMG (Oh My Gaia)

All the energy expended to make those "recyclable cubes! The energy to produce all that fabric! All that energy to assemble it! All that energy to disassemble it! all the energy to recycle it!

Why, those "workers" could have been working on a environmentally friendly cure for cancer! Instead they wasted all that time and energy covering up a portion of Mother Gaia! All that money could have gone to feed orphans or protect the three-toed, pink, tree frog! Damn you all to Not Gaia!; 6/17/16, 1:20 PM
Fernandinande said...: John said...
Sounds like phart to me.

Fartiste!

Drive on water; 6/17/16, 1:29 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Visually that's very neat!

All that plastic in the water, though, those poor poor fish & lake creatures...plus the expense of it all (money that could have been used to feed hungry children)...plus the glamorization of Western-style art (overshadowing under appreciated art by marginalized groups around the world...

Just kidding--it's pretty neat!; 6/17/16, 1:45 PM
Ann Althouse said...: I just hope there are no alligators.; 6/17/16, 1:56 PM
Robert Cook said...: I love Christo's drawings! (He's a great draughtsman.) His project drawings of the Central Park Gates are more captivating and electric to me than the actual Gates, which were absolutely spectacular!; 6/17/16, 2:02 PM
Bob Ellison said...: Bart.; 6/17/16, 2:14 PM
Smilin' Jack said...: ""Look!... You see! It falls in that way so you can see the movement.... It’s actually breathing.""

No, actually, it isn't.

But kudos to Christo for seeing what God couldn't: that this Italian lake would look so much more beautiful with some garish orange stripes scrawled across it.; 6/17/16, 2:38 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: Joshua Barker said...

Some people have too much time and money and their hands...

And fabric, apparently.; 6/17/16, 2:46 PM
tim maguire said...: Never saw the point of Christo. Unimaginative, technically simplistic one-trick pony. And it's not much of a trick.; 6/17/16, 2:47 PM
retail lawyer said...: If you must have public art, Christo is the way to go because it comes down pretty fast. I inadvertently saw The Running Fence once, but was able to avoid the area until it was removed.; 6/17/16, 3:11 PM
David said...: The film "Running Fence" was wonderful as was the installation. I like this one but the giant rubber ducks of a few years ago (not by Christo) were better.; 6/17/16, 4:23 PM
jj121957 said...: Overrated and dangerous is Christo.
http://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/28/us/christo-umbrella-crushes-woman.html; 6/17/16, 5:04 PM
Ann Althouse said...: I love Christo. I used to hate him.; 6/17/16, 5:08 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Watch the Maysles Brothers documentary (linked at that link in my comment above) if you don't like Christo. I bet you will end up loving him.; 6/17/16, 5:09 PM
CWJ said...: I do love Christo as well. He's an extravagance that the world can well afford.

What was delightful for me, because the video wouldn't play, is that I had to figure it out from the still photo. And then it hit me. I've seen this island in person thanks to the Italian father of one of my exchange sons.; 6/17/16, 5:20 PM
Sam L. said...: I remain totally unimpressed.; 6/17/16, 5:38 PM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: I'm with the troglodytes on this one. Still, better than Dylan.; 6/17/16, 7:36 PM
Fen said...: Todd said... OMG (Oh My Gaia)

All the energy expended to make those "recyclable cubes! The energy to produce all that fabric! All that energy to assemble it! All that energy to disassemble it! all the energy to recycle it!

Why, those "workers" could have been working on a environmentally friendly cure for cancer! Instead they wasted all that time and energy covering up a portion of Mother Gaia! All that money could have gone to feed orphans or protect the three-toed, pink, tree frog! Damn you all to Not Gaia!

/thread over; 6/17/16, 7:49 PM
Chris N said...: I wound some duct tape around 4 empty milk jugs and put them in a pool.

It's now Essential Art. A bridge from Man to Nature; 6/17/16, 9:49 PM
bagoh20 said...: He can certainly do what he wants with his talent, money, and vision, but I wish he would make art that lasted. It's so much effort and expense of resources, only to disappear. For instance, he could design something like this that permanent like an beautiful bridge or maybe an exotic ferris wheel that could be enjoyed for generations. My innate and uncontrollable practicality and frugality make me incapable of appreciating it as much as others. I'd make a lousy artist, or politician for that matter. Resources and hard work are just too precious to me. I hate to see them wasted the way some people hate meat, or smoking, or men in shorts. All those shirts wasted on half dressed men.; 6/17/16, 9:50 PM
bagoh20 said...: Imagine a beautiful Mozart ,or Dylan, composition played just once and never played again for anyone ever. O.K. maybe Dylan was a bad example for my point.; 6/17/16, 9:56 PM
Tyrone Slothrop said...: For a long time I thought Christo was just a loony. Then, quite by surprise I came upon his umbrella installation in Tejon pass. It was beautiful and surreal. I was so glad to have seen it. Sadly, a woman was killed by one of the umbrellas during a wind storm.; 6/17/16, 10:57 PM
Jaq said...: I don't know. A huge plastic dock? I just don't see the point. Oh well.; 6/18/16, 3:12 AM
Anonymous said...: Proof that in a previous life as a Tibetan Buddhist Christo created really, really big mandalas.; 6/18/16, 3:21 AM
Jason said...: I think Eisenhower did it better, and did more good with it.; 6/18/16, 1:01 PM
Jaq said...: If you can't make it good, make it big.; 6/19/16, 5:50 AM