-- --

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Art for the Masses


Leave it to the graffiti artists on the street to combine high art with low. Recently, someone wittily referenced one of the most well-known urban sculptures around, Robert Indiana's Love sculpture. The sculptures are scattered around the world, and one exists in the flesh on the corner of 6th Avenue and 55th Street.

When I was looking for an apartment a couple years ago, I failed to edit my photos. I sent my parents a street view showing a sliver of old graffiti.

Of course, I heard about it. My dad called me from California, asking how run down the neighborhood was. I knew what he was referring to.

'It's just graffiti,' I'd said. 'There's graffiti everywhere. Even in Soho.'

Our difference in opinion shows the difference between East Coast and West Coast mentalities. In LA, manicured and tidy is good. Everything that can sport a new coat of paint does. In New York, manicured is tidy is good, too. But graffiti and the signs of age are not terrible.

Well, that's just the beginning. There are more differences between New York and LA. I'll have to write about them another time.



Top photo by myself of graffiti in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Lower photo of an Indiana 'Love' Sculpture.

12 comments:

Mom Knows Everything said...

I think some graffiti is beautiful, but some of it makes things just look horrible and dirty. I love the mural ones.

Anonymous said...

ha!! i love it... covering graffiti w/vote! i guess they were really trying to make a statement there. :)

Kitty said...

Tammy, I agree. I like very little 'Street Art'.

I guess what I mean is that there's the look of age in New York that I love. It's a look that a lot of the West Coast doesn't have.

Mama, that's right. At least their spray painting was for a good cause!

Anonymous said...

Love the shot Kitty!
Maybe I have a soft spot for graffiti art.
~JD

Kitty said...

Thanks, JD.
Yeah, I prefer the stuff that looks more like graphic design.

Anonymous said...

In philly today, where they have the original Love, I read they are having a store devoted to all thing's Robert Indiana Love. This VOTE sign would be perfect. Do you know why the "O" in love is crooked? Because Love is not perfect.

Kitty said...

Hi Hughe!
I have to say that alongside Milton Glaser's 'I *heart* NY' logo, the Love sculpture is one of the most recognizable slogans around.

I have to wonder how much dough Indiana got for his creation. Probably a pittance!

Anonymous said...

I painted that!

Anonymous said...

Check this out:

AIGA website

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/get-out-the-vote-2008

The "LOVE to VOTE" image is a public image that can be used by anyone and everyone to promote voting.

Make a poster of your own. Feel free to use the image that you found spray painted to as a start for your own design. Submit this photograph. The great thing about graffiti art is there is no copyright.

Kitty said...

well, to the Anon who painted this, kudos to you. It's a cool graphic.

Thanks Anon, for the link. I think sending a photo of the grafitti wouldn't be enough. You'd want to really design something nice for AIGA. But that's an interesting concept!

Anonymous said...

You are right. The photo alone would not hold up to AIGA standards. Feel free to incorporate the design into a poster of your own.
Submit as many as you want. Make your own as well. The more the merrier.

I am by no means a graphic designer when it come to getting in front of the computer. In Design and Illustrator frustrate me and scare me. I know how to paint though!


This parodied version of Robert (Clark) Indiana's LOVE is public use. It is not Indiana's. It's not mine. This image is for everyone. I have not copyrighted it, and even if I could, you would be more than welcome to use it in your poster design. As you know I have been busy spraying this image all over the country and now in high density in NYC.

I am also launching a huge t-shirt, button, and sticker campaign with outlets nationwide. It would be really effective to have graphic designers across the country to incorporate this logo into their poster. You don't have to but it would collectively start a collaborative phenomenon.

You have been chosen to get involved in this non-partisan call for action on Nov.4.


I look forward to seeing your design.

I have invited over over 25 of my closest graphic designer friends to use this logo for the AIGA poster submission.

As a collaborative artist I long to work with other creative people whom I have never even met.

Thanks,

Clark Clark

Kitty said...

Anon,
I really love your passion and this whole discussion. I'll probably write a post about it soon.

I actually know someone involved with the AIGA. So, we'll see. I'll have to read the contest details again!

Best,
k