A new roof was put on our home this week and my “no art background except for the fact that he’s been married to me for 39 years” husband’s observation, after stepping outside to view the work going on was, “Looks like Christo has been here.”
And indeed, much to my delight, it did.
And then I smiled, because how many retired military generals have any idea who Christo is?
I’ve long been an admirer of Christo’s art, ever since discovering a photograph of this piece while I was in college. He and his wife, Jeanne-Claude, create non-collectible art. It is designed to end.
It occurs to me that this was my first real exposure to public art……art done on a grand scale, put out in the world for people to see, not tucked away in a museum, where the observer has to make a conscious decision to view it.
I’ve been seeking out public art ever since, as well as often photographing buildings that have been shrouded for one reason or another. I’m drawn to how a space is changed when it is draped and how that space changes with the light in the course of a day.
In 2005 I had the opportunity to see a Christo/Jeanne-Claude work in person when The Gates were installed in Central Park. As I recall, my traveling companions were less than impressed; I was mesmerized.
So yes, I was thrilled to have my very own Christo/Jean-Claude happening going on around me a few days ago, even if my roofers had no clue what they had created for me, or why I was taking so many pictures of it.
One never knows what delights the course of an ordinary day will hold.
pauses&clicks 