In this article, I’ll highlight other people’s art. As difficult as it is, I am limiting myself to public art found in the Palm Springs area of California. All of the photos below were taken with my Canon mirrorless R5 with an RF 24-70mm, f/2.8 lens.
Gelett Burgess is famously quoted as saying, “I don’t know anything about art, but I know what I like.” I can relate. I do know a little about art, and I certainly know what I like, I just don’t always know why I like a specific piece of art.
From the young man in the twenty-second row
Who sees you as something as more than sexual,
More than just our Marilyn Monroe
Elton John
I consider myself a moderate fan of Marilyn Monroe. As an actress, a celebrity, and a person, there’s something about Marilyn. She draws people in and is virtually impossible to ignore. The Forever Marilyn statue shown above is a 26 ft (ca. 8 m) tall sculpture by artist Seward Johnson.
I’m not sure why I am so drawn to this piece of public art, but I am. As Marilyn did with so many, the sculpture draws you in. The steady stream of visitors made it difficult to get a photo with only Marilyn in it. Patience is a virtue, that I often lack. It’s remarkable how many people visit it, photograph it, and have their photos taken with Forever Marilyn. It’s also a bit shocking how many people just have to go around back and look up her skirt. I’ll refrain from further comment on that.
Lucy, Isabelle, and an Astronaut
A short walk from Forever Marilyn, there are several sculptures near each other in Downtown Palm Springs.
The bronze sculpture of Lucille Ball was created by Emmanuil and Janet Snitkovsky in 1995. What I like about this sculpture is the body language. It looks as if this life-size Lucy is sitting there, ready for you to show up so she can adjust her dress, and have you sit down next to her.
Every picture has its shadows
And it has some source of light
Joni Mitchell
I think this sculpture is incredible, spectacularly blending art and science! “Isabelle” is a site-specific work by artist Julian Voss-Andreae, a former quantum physicist turned artist. She is constructed with steel plates of varying sizes and shapes fastened together to create a captivating, three-dimensional statue.
As you view Isabelle from the side, you see a statue gently showcasing the female form. As you walk to view her from the front, the steel plates, and therefore Isabelle, slowly disappear. Continuing to the other side, you get another “solid” view, only for it to vanish again as you view the sculpture from the rear. It’s like magic.
I believe Isabelle is on permanent display, thanks to the Hohmann Fine Art Gallery, visible in the background of one of the photos above.
The gallery has also placed another Voss-Andreae sculpture, The Quantum Astronaut, nearby. In hindsight, I would have photographed these two sculptures earlier in the morning to avoid having people in the scene or waiting for them to walk by. I also think photographing the statues after dark would be interesting.
In designing the Quantum Astronaut, Voss-Andreae used mirrored steel, creating fascinating reflections. This Astronaut landed about a month before I visited Palm Springs. It will take off again soon, so I was very fortunate to be able to view this wonderfully imagined and cleverly constructed piece.
Time to reflect
In 2001, Walter and Leonore Annenberg established The Annenberg Foundation Trust, at Sunnylands, to preserve their estate. The Sunnylands Center & Gardens first opened to the public in March 2012.
One can argue whether Landscape Design is art. My answer would be, it depends. The Sunnylands Gardens are beautiful, peaceful, and well-designed. The twin water features are perfectly placed and provide gorgeous (though challenging to photograph) reflections of nature along with the calming sound of flowing water.
Like the three-dimensional sculptures by Voss-Andreae, the water features offer different images as you move around them. They also adjust subtly as the lighting changes throughout the day. These examples of public art are excellent reminders that how you view something, or someone, depends on where you stand. Inside the Sunnylands Center, is an art gallery with rotating exhibits.
Daydream
What a day for a daydream
What a day for a daydreamin’ boy
And now I’m lost in a daydream
The Lovin Spoonful
The partially submerged bronze sculpture, “The Dreamer”, by David Phelps, is over 14 feet (4.27 m) long and appears to be rising out of the ground. It’s located in the 70-acre Palm Desert Civic Center Park, taking full advantage of that idyllic setting.
This uniquely designed statue is placed on well-groomed grass, between two ponds. When viewing the sleeping Dreamer, it’s effortless to picture yourself, laying back on the grass, in the warmth of the sun, hearing the nearby water gently splashing, and drifting off into a peaceful slumber… Yeah, I love this park, and this statue takes me away.
I went to Sunnylands Garden at opening time on a weekday morning, and arrived at The Dreamer mid-morning the same day. Therefore, it was relatively easy to avoid pedestrians in my photos.
There’s a lot of public art out there
An immense and grateful thank you to all the artists, and their connections who provide so much spectacular public art, free to all!
I limited this article to one small area in California. I wanted to include art from San Diego and New Orleans, but that would mean instead of this being a five-minute read, it would have been a five-day marathon. There is so much wonderful art ready and waiting for us to view, interpret, and enjoy.
You may or may not know much about a specific piece of art that you view, but you’ll know what you like!
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Nicely captured images Gary, thanks.