Key Focus Concepts Seeing the Value in Art Art and Its Reception Art, Politics, and Public Space – Art in “public” vs. “private” spaces – What role does politics play in the making and reception of art?

What Determines the Value of Art? Monetary Value vs. Intrinsic Value – Monetary value can be determined through a wide range of factors. – Intrinsic value is more subjective and frequently under intense debate.

Sylvie Fleury, Serie ELA 75/K (Plumpity… Plump), 2000 Gold-plated shopping cart, Plexiglas handle with vinyl text, rotating pedestal mirror

Damien Hirst, For the Love of God, 2007 Human skull cast in platinum, covered with 8,601 flawless diamonds, including a large pink pear shaped diamond in the center of the forehead, known as the “Skull Star Diamond.” It cost over 21 million dollars to produce, and the asking price was 78 million dollars.

Damien Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, 1991 Tiger shark, glass, steel, 5% formaldehyde solution

Damien Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, detail view

Damien Hirst, End Game, In the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.

Robert Mapplethorpe, Ajitto, 1981 Gelatin silver print

Robert Mapplethorpe Ken and Tyler, 1985 Platinum print. Mapplethorpe often blurred the distinction between the “male” and the “female” in his works. In Ken and Tyler, the male body assumes the more traditionally female role of the nude in art.

Chris Ofili, The Holy Virgin Mary, 1996 Paper collage, oil paint, glitter, polyester, resin, map pins, and elephant dung on linen

Mosaic of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus Christ on a wall in the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. 11 th century mosaic.

Small cutouts of bare butts from pornographic magazines decorate the space around the Virgin. These bare bottoms refer to putti, the baby angels popular in Renaissance art. The use of angels surrounding the Virgin was a common convention in religious art.

Right wing of the Melun Diptych: Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels, Oil on wood panel.

William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Return of Spring, Oil on canvas. Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, The Immaculate Conception of the Venerable Ones, Oil on canvas.

The exposed breast was another convention in religious paintings of the Virgin.

Art and Its Reception How does the public view innovative art? Remember, art that is accepted and revered today was once innovative and controversial. What are the motivations of the artist to make new and innovative work?

Edouard Manet, Luncheon on the Grass (Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe), 1863.

Macantonio Raimondi, The Judgement of Paris, c

Edouard Manet, Olympia, Oil on canvas.

Titian, Venus of Urbino, Oil on canvas.

Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, 1912; oil on canvas. This painting debuted with a great controversy in It was ridiculed in the press, and the butt of many jokes. It is telling, however, that the jest surrounding this painting focused on the inability to see the nude. The public did not immediately understand it, so it was perceived as joke (they could not take it seriously).

Maya Lin, Vietnam Memorial, 1982

The Washington Monument

The Washington Monument, detail

Felix de Weldon, Marine Corps War Memorial, 1954.

Maya Lin, Vietnam Memorial, 1982

Maya Lin, Vietnam Memorial, detail view

Art, Politics, and Public Space What role does politics play in the making and reception of art? How are the considerations of artworks created for public spaces different than those created for private spaces? What responsibilities fall on the artist who creates work for public spaces? What responsibilities fall on the public who receives it?

Alexander Calder, La Grand Vitesse, 1969

Richard Serra, Tilted Arc, 1981 Cor-Ten steel 12 ft. x 120 ft. x 2 ½ in

Richard Serra, Tilted Arc, detail view

Michelangelo, David, Copy of the original as it stands in the Piazza dellaDignoria, Florence. Marble, height 13 ft. 5 in.

Michelangelo, David, Original sculpture, moved to the Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence. Marble, height 13 ft. 5 in.