One person’s idea of public ‘art’ is another’s gangbanger-inspired graffiti

Perhaps this is a trend we need to be wary of – what with government officials inclined to think they can help beautify their neighborhoods by permitting artists to let loose and do create their work on the urban canvasses otherwise known as building walls.

'Questionable' mural while in creation. Photo provided by Lake View Chamber of Commerce

For there was an incident recently showing just how subjective the process can be.

IT SEEMS THAT city officials commissioned a mural intended to be visible to people waiting for ‘el’ trains along the Paulina station of the Chicago Transit Authority’s Brown line.

That, of course, is a train line running to the north side through the upscale Roscoe Village sub-neighborhood of Lake View – where the local residents have a certain expectation of the look they want to have for their community.

So when the “bear champ” mural went up on an outdoors brick wall, there were those who saw its bright yellow colors and thought it helped make the neighborhood more cheery.

Pilsen-based art. Photographs by Gregory Tejeda

But invariably, there was someone who saw markings on the wall and automatically jumped to the “graffiti” assumption – which usually means someone fears the gang-bangers are headed for the neighborhood.

THAT, ACCORDING TO the Chicago Tribune, led the ‘someone’ to call 3-1-1 and report an incident of graffiti in the neighborhood. City Streets & Sanitation officials went to the scene, found there most definitely was something other than plain brick wall present, and a crew painted over the scene with a dull tan color.

A “victory” for all those believing in law and order, along with a sense of morality – except that this particular piece of ‘art’ literally was commissioned by the Lake View Chamber of Commerce. Most definitely NOT any kind of subversive effort.

The group actually thought the mural by artist J.C. Rivera would add some color and brighten up the neighborhood -- particularly for those waiting for an 'el train to arrive. It might reduce the amount of cursing those passengers would be doing under their breath while waiting for the trains that never seem to run on time.

Outdoor advertising w/ artistic merit in the South Deering neighborhood

Based off the photographs I have seen of what the mural looked like during the few days it was in place, I’m not sure exactly what it was supposed to be. But it was a large splash of color that cheered up the mood. I’m sure whoever it was that made the call to the city to complain was a crank – who may also be the kind of person who calls animal control every time they hear a stray bark echo through the air.

THE PROBLEM BECOMES having to distinguish between the crackpots and people with legitimate complaints; particularly since I don’t doubt the crackpots think they have legitimate complaints.

Even though all they really have is a narrow vision of what their surroundings should be like.

As far as removing graffiti, I do comprehend the need to do so. Particularly since so much of it is ugly and nonsensical and whose only purpose is for one to “place their mark,” so to speak, on a public spot. As though their tag or other symbol can force all of us to recognize their legitimacy.

Maybe we're lucky nobody has called to report this 'eyesore' of public art

For what it’s worth, the neighborhood’s Chamber of Commerce actually used city funds to help create this particular mural that no longer exists. So it literally was the city that destroyed something it had created in the name of neighborhood beautification.

ARE MURALS ALL across the city going to have to be wary of some sense of ‘art police’ eager to erase their mark from the walls of Chicago? What about those who might have their own building and try to decorate it with something representing their business interest – will this be forbidden?

There is one aspect I do find ironic, and it is based off of a Chicago Tribune photograph depicting the painted-over mural. It seems someone saw the newly-created blank space and managed to fill it in by tagging it.

Meaning literally that someone’s effort to erase some nonsensical graffiti resulted in a piece of artwork being replaced by real graffiti – which most likely will remain place longer than the mural did.

That would serve the ‘idiot’ right who made the call to complain about the mural. The only problem is that the rest of us passing through the neighborhood wind up suffering as well.

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A half-century later, and we still don’t have a clue what Picasso statue is

It’s Oh, So Fitting of Chicago’s character that one of the most prominent landmarks our city has – the statue created by famed artist Pablo Picasso – is something we don’t have a clue what it’s supposed to be.

A daily sight in Daley Plaza

It has been 50 years to the day since the Picasso, as we simply refer to it, since Pablo himself never gave his creation for the city a proper title, was unveiled to the public.

OF COURSE, AS also is so befitting of Chicago’s character, city officials chose to celebrate the half-century mark of the statue last week.

As in the official ceremonies marking 50 years of the statue’s presence in the Daley Plaza were held Aug. 8, rather than on Tuesday.

I’d like to joke that the reason the ceremonies were held a week early was because we wanted to detract from the pair of events that otherwise would have had their anniversaries on Aug. 8.

As in the 29^th anniversary of the Chicago Cubs’ first attempt at playing a night game at Wrigley Field (it was rained out, and the first actual game didn’t occur until the following day), or the 41^st anniversary of the time the Chicago White Sox tried playing an official major league ballgame in shorts.

INSTEAD, WE CHOSE to jump the gun on the Picasso structure, which now is such a part of the city’s composition that we don’t really notice it. We walk through the Daley Plaza in the shadows of the Daley Center courthouse or the County Building/City Hall where the real Richard J. Daley prevailed and we expect to see it.

 

Would something like this really be better?

It’s just there.

Personally, I’m not going to take a crack at guessing at what it was Picasso was trying to portray when he created the statue on commission for the architectural firm that designed the Daley Plaza for Chicago back in the mid-1960s (although I do get a kick out of the White Sox warmup jacket he occasionally was photographed wearing).

Although the artistic experts who say it is a profile of a woman (if viewed from behind at just the right angle) may be on to something. Personally, I think the confused perception it creates amongst so many people may be totally befitting of Chicago.

 

Celebrating the shorts?

A PLACE THAT outsiders may find bewildering, but that we locals accept for all its flaws and complications.

In fact, I wonder if a more conventional attempt at public art would have created something that would be oft-ignored and long-forgotten. Or wind up creating an image that would totally tick off a segment of the city.

Such as the ideas that were tossed about publicly back in 1967 by those who were offended by Picasso’s effort to create an image that would come to personify Chicago. Then-alderman John Hoellen (I knew him later in his professional life as a CTA Board member) was the guy who suggested a statue of Chicago Cubs slugger Ernie Banks.

Which I’m sure would have gone over terribly with the segment of Chicago that has no use for the Cubs, or baseball in general.

Says about Chicago?

ALL I KNOW is that the Picasso (which actor John Belushi’s character made reference to in “The Blues Brothers”) is now a common backdrop – particularly for all the activist-types who choose the Daley Center for their protests against local government.

I suspect Picasso himself would have appreciated that idea, since the artist himself had Communist leanings (but that didn’t stop him from accepting payment from the city for his work).

Besides, perhaps it’s a good thing that Picasso’s work of vague perceptions exists for Chicago.

Picasso used to be part of the holiday festivities when city tree was in Plaza

Otherwise, our city’s most prominent work of public art might very well turn out to be the Bat Column statue by Claes Oldenburg (whom the now-defunct City News Bureau used to like to boast was one of their former reporter-type people) that exists outside of the Social Security Building on Madison Street. Just think of all the confusion that image could cause!

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