The Dispute over the Tilted Arc
Introduction and Thesis
In 1981, Richard Serra was commissioned by the federal government to create a permanent structure for the plaza of a federal building in Manhattan. Serra chose to create Tilted Arc, a twelve-foot-tall and 120-foot-long, curved slab of steel. However, its large size created a dispute among the general public in the surrounding community and the artists in support of Serra. Many members of the surrounding community were against the wall and wanted it to be removed, whereas, the supporters of Serra thought this was disrespectful to his work and wanted it to remain in the plaza. Nonetheless, the sculpture should not be removed from the plaza because of Serra’s worthy intentions behind the sculpture’s creation. Furthermore, …show more content…
Rubin is the director of the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art, therefore he is experienced in the concept of art. Rubin states that Serra’s creation is a challenging work of art that forces its audience to question its value and its significance in the public community. A further example of a work in the similar situation as Serra’s creation, was the Eiffel Tower, once extremely controversial but now universally appreciated. Therefore, art simply needs time before they are completely understood and therefore, appreciated. Rubin, therefore, concludes that the issue should be contemplated after Tilted Arc is completely understood because the opinions of those in the community can likely change.
I agree completely with Rubin’s argument because I think that several of the witnesses are merely centering their judgments around the appearance and how it makes them feel in that present moment. Furthermore, the sculpture is still so new to the plaza, therefore, several of these witnesses could not possibly understand the work of art and its intention. I believe they are so focused on their own mindset that they are not comprehending the work of art
Introduction and Thesis
In 1981, Richard Serra was commissioned by the federal government to create a permanent structure for the plaza of a federal building in Manhattan. Serra chose to create Tilted Arc, a twelve-foot-tall and 120-foot-long, curved slab of steel. However, its large size created a dispute among the general public in the surrounding community and the artists in support of Serra. Many members of the surrounding community were against the wall and wanted it to be removed, whereas, the supporters of Serra thought this was disrespectful to his work and wanted it to remain in the plaza. Nonetheless, the sculpture should not be removed from the plaza because of Serra’s worthy intentions behind the sculpture’s creation. Furthermore, …show more content…
Rubin is the director of the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art, therefore he is experienced in the concept of art. Rubin states that Serra’s creation is a challenging work of art that forces its audience to question its value and its significance in the public community. A further example of a work in the similar situation as Serra’s creation, was the Eiffel Tower, once extremely controversial but now universally appreciated. Therefore, art simply needs time before they are completely understood and therefore, appreciated. Rubin, therefore, concludes that the issue should be contemplated after Tilted Arc is completely understood because the opinions of those in the community can likely change.
I agree completely with Rubin’s argument because I think that several of the witnesses are merely centering their judgments around the appearance and how it makes them feel in that present moment. Furthermore, the sculpture is still so new to the plaza, therefore, several of these witnesses could not possibly understand the work of art and its intention. I believe they are so focused on their own mindset that they are not comprehending the work of art