The(almost)disputed Tesla

[sculptor]

a small clarification ....of my critique the "Tesla"

as I have told fritchie:
Please understand that I do not dislike the Tesla piece.
My argument was and is that it says nothing about Tesla without the entablature.
Loving the figurative as I do, and seeking it where ever It can be seen, and seriously studying the genre "monument" I have seen far too many "monuments" which say nothing of the individual and sacrifice a love of the dance for ease of casting.

The Tesla "monument" bespeaks a genre which epitomizes a grand-eloquence of the mediocrity in statuary. It is not unpleasant and has a serenity of balance while staying true to the figure. It has high craft, while having little to do with art or with Tesla.

One of the obvious failings of "modern art" is that much of the work does not stand alone. It needs an "artist's statement" to sell the concept.

as/re the sculptor, as I pointed out in the earlier debate, there is a picture of the one in Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra, in front of the building of the Faculty of Technology, posted right in this website last year----i've lost the link , but it was sculpted by FRANO KRŠINIC (http://www.moljac.hr/biografije/krsinic.htm) and erected in 1963 in Belgrade-----(I honor the genre by due diligence in my homework) and: more (http://korcula.net/naselja/lumbarda/fkind.htm)
and still more (http://www.hrt.hr/arhiv/ndd/06lipanj/0624%20Krsinic.html)
In point of fact, I find much of Frano's work artistic and well worth a second look. (so, of course, I remove the "sheis kopf" comment which was intended to crack open the doors of debate) I have been warned that pursuit of this topic may get me banned from this group, so consider this a potential swansong.

Be that as it may, to have my work and love of the art lumped together with
mediocre statuary, casting from life, and a broad range of "figurative art" which does not remain true to the human form, disagreeable on a good day and repugnant of an average day(you may guess at my unsaid phraseology when I'm in a foul mood)

Open debate is the hallmark of a free society, and if it occasionally turns heated, I have an underlying faith that we are all united in our struggle to be of the powers of creation rather than the powers of destruction, and consider you brothers and peers one and all. Let us learn from our different perspectives and voices and forgive our individual posturing. By debating the strengths and weaknesses of that which we perceive we are better informed.


accompanying is a picture of another of the works of Frano Krisinic.
His voice had many and sometimes quite diverse facets.

rod

[fritchie]

rod, sculptor - For one, I hope you aren't banned, but we do need a sense of community here, and mutual civility. I think Russ welcomes all constructive criticism, which might be a bit abrasive on occasion, but we do need to keep in mind that opinions are just that. I always have felt free to express mine, and sometimes I may sound like God proclaiming from on high, but that’s just from a sense of the urgency of the situation. This is America, the land of the free, but sometimes a softer voice helps.

Take care!

[sculptor]

so what did you think about Frano's other work?

I wonder at the vast difference between his clay(bronze)voice and his stone voice

any paraller divergences come to mind?

[fused]

It was my perception that the Tesla sculpture is sited
at the same location as an electric generator which by
itself adds content and the monument puts a face on
it's inventor.

[sculptor]

It was my perception that the Tesla sculpture is sited
at the same location as an electric generator which by
itself adds content and the monument puts a face on
it's inventor.

Granted-----the context sells the "monument" almost---
---add a little entablature, and you've almost got something.....almost,
and if it actually looked like Tesla, we might even have something .....beyond mediocrity. but that didn't happen.

perhaps rderr (Robert Derr) said it best on these pages when he proclaimed
"Art is provocation, all else is decoration"

Can you yourself think of no better way to portray Tesla in such a way that via the "monument alone" we might have an insight into such a great mind?

Isn't concept a great part of what artist do?

I submit that this "monument" has none.

I'm gonna step out on a limb here and suggest that Frano didn't seek this commission based on an artistic concept which he wished to explore, but accepted it and let a student of his help and practice the craft of statuary.
They have succeeded admirably in acheiving the epitomy of mediocrity. If this represented the high spot of Frano's artistic voice, I'd think of him as a reasonably adept craftsman.

Knock Tesla's name off the monument, stick it somewhere else with someone elses name, and voila, we've got a universal monument that says something about everyone and nothing about anyone.

I propose that a "monument" should actually be a monument to the individual and that it should be able to stand alone and still be a monument to the individual.

I seek a higher form of the art, as should we all.

The Tesla is not figurative art, nor representative of the art of the monument.
It is well crafted statuary.
There is a difference.

rod