Internationally acclaimed artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude spent more than 40 years creating highly celebrated works of art across the globe. Together this unique, dynamic married couple changed the concept of “public art” by creating temporary works that are truly transitory by design. I chose this art because it struck me as uniquely current day Romanticism. The fact that the artists do not charge for viewing of their art, shows characteristics. Christo and Jeanne-Claude have never accepted, nor will Christo accept in the future, any subsidies, royalties, grants, or sponsorships of any kind for their temporary public works of art. Similarly, the artists do not make any endorsements of businesses, products, political movements, other artists, or anything else. All of the artists’ income is comes from the sale of original works of art by Christo to private collectors, galleries and museums. Christo and Jeanne-Claude have always maintained a position of total artistic freedom, with no constraints or financial considerations imposed upon their works of art by any outside party. This is what reminds me of romanticism. The artists’ goal has always been to create works of art of joy and beauty, without charging any viewing fees.
Christo and I believe that labels are very important, but for bottles of wine, not for artists, and we usually don’t like to put a label on our art. If one is absolutely necessary, then it would be environmental artists because we work in both the rural and the urban environment.
One of the primary roles that Christo and Jeanne-Claude assumed in creating The Gas is helping the world to see in new or innovative ways, as with almost all of their work. Their artwork is designed to transform our experience of the world, jar us out of our complacencey and create new ways for us to see and think aout the world around us. (A world of Art, Ch1, Part 1, P4).
In my opinion Christo and Jeanne-Claude are neo-romantics in that they make their art in nature, the real world, and then paint it or use photography. They do not conform to average artists’ ways of using what is in front of them; they create their art and then record it. They seem to be so much more involved in their art and encourage others to be involved in their art. In the following picture of a 1800s painting, there are many similarities. The most important, is the feeling that is brought out in the pictures.
References:
Sayre, Henry M. (2010). A World of Art. Custom Edition for University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Pearson Learning Solutions.
