Posts Tagged ‘Art’

One of the more interesting pieces of art in Melbourne’s Docklands precinct is ‘Cow Up A Tree’. Sculptured by artist John Kelly the cow was designed for a sculpture exhibition in Paris on the beautiful Champs Elysees for the millennium in 2000. The Cow up a Tree sculpture was later installed overlooking Victoria Harbour in 2003 and has become a much loved icon of Melbourne’s thriving Docklands precinct.  The cow itself is made of bronze and painted black and white, and depicts a surreal image of a cow based on an Australian flood image. The cow is caught upside down in an Australian gum tree after the flood.  The cow itself is designed as a tribute to Australian painter Sir William Dobell who began painting stylized cows during the Second World War as a decoy for airfields. The cow features a quirky long neck and very square body with some interesting camouflage like markings.

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Today we go to the Canadian city of Toronto to see a beautiful piece of artwork by artists Dai Skuse and Kim Kozzi who work under the name of Fastwurms. The artwork installed in 1997 is called the Woodpecker Column and is built from fiberglass and steel. The column is 30 metres tall and has an amazing pileated woodpecker hanging off it. ther is another piece closeby with a yellow bellied sap sucker which is also quiet beautiful. The artwork is infront of teh Toronto Convention Centre and is beautifuly set amongst the trees expecially in the Fall when we took this photo with amazing orange follage.

The old Tony Bennet song goes “I left my heart in San Francisco” well this is where artist Claes Oldenburg  and Coosje van Bruggen got the inspiration for this beautiful bow and arrow sculpture called Cupid’s Span. This place is where Claes  and Coosje symbolise the place in the song.  The 60 foot high and nearly 130 foot wide sculpture is made of stainless steel and fibre glass and sits in Rincon Park which is along the Embarcadero in San Francisco between the Ferry Building and the Bay Bridge looking up Folsom Street.  Rincon Park is a two acre oasis with spectacular views of the bay and a very popular place for people to relax and escape the hustle and bustle of the city. This sculpture really ads a fantastic dimension to the park.

Opening in 1959 the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum is regarded as one of New York’s City’s most impressive architectural landmarks and is home to some of the most renowned works of art found anywhere in the world. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright the white concrete building is a amazing piece of artwork in itself. The artworks are displayed along a helical spiral ramp which stretches the entire building. The centre of the building is lit with an incredible skylight which shines sun on the forecourt and ticketing area. The Guggenheim has become such a success in New York other Guggenheims’ have been built around the world, including Venice, Bilbao, Berlin, and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The museum has an ever changing collection of art with Impressionist, Post Impressionist, early modern and contemporary making up most of the collection. The Guggenheim can be found on the Upper East Side overlooking the beautiful Central Park.

The Charging Bull is one of the most recognisable pieces of art around New York Wall Street financial district. Weighing in at over 3200 kg and standing 11 feet tall and 16 feet long the huge bronze bull was sculptured by Arturo Di Modica as a symbol of Strength and Power to the American People after the 1987 stock market crash. The artwork was actually a piece of guerrilla art by the artist who had it installed under the stock exchange Christmas tree in 1989. The statue was seized by police and impounded but after public outcry was brought back and installed a little up the road at Bowling Green. The statue today is one of New York City’s most photographed and loved sculptures with thousands posing with the bull every day. Some pose beside the head and horns of the beast while just as many want to pose with the rather graphic rear end.

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The Rockerfeller Centre in New York City is one of the world’s largest complexes covering around 22 acres and consisting of 19 huge commercial complexes including the 70 floor GE Building and world famous Radio City Music Hall. The centre was built in the early 1930’s and has some of the most incredible examples of modern art deco artwork and design seen anywhere in the world. 1987 saw the entire complex declared a National Historic Landmark on the USA national register. The Lower Plaza is a famous meeting place and is a place of celebration during many special days during the year, especially around christmas when the huge Christmas Tree is illuminated and plaza is turned into a giant ice skating ring. The plaza is also an important venue during the US elections, where plaza is used for television vote counting. Many people go to the top of the Empire State Building for the best view of New York, but in our opinion they pick the wrong building. The Rockefeller offers much more spectacular views- sure you are not quiet as high but you get a magnificent view of Central Park and lower Manhattan, especially of the Empire State Building, twilight is quite spectacular.

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