Monday 4 June 2012

The Cultural Olympian .....It is not the winning it is the taking part


I have been working on the Olympic Sculpture today, The Cultural Olympian. As a rebel it is good to make something that is not about ripping off the masses for thousands of pounds. I have seen a few bits of art involved in the Cultural Olympiad, some good and some just rubbish.

So just for tonight I am breaking with tradition and not writing a diary entry, but making a point that art should be about the vision and the visual, not necessarily the same thing. Too much of the art today is gimmicky dross involving no talent.

I am not particularly talented, and making things out of old cardboard boxes means I will never make a penny out of what I do. Me and that Van Gogh bloke have a lot in common, although I am not cutting my ear off and my stuff will never sell for millions ever because it is cardboard. But someone somewhere should say that the conceptual art trend is dead; it’s been done to death, it a deceased concept, bereft of life it has gone to him who must be obeyed, it is lost, a stiff, its mortal coil unravelled and become trendy easy crap sold for lots of money . My own idea to illustrate this is a life size model of the Flying Scotsman made in frozen gravy called, yes yes you have guessed it ‘The Gravy Train’ ……………. HAH HAHHAH HAHH HAHH Ahah ahahh hah hah hahaha hah hah

In the mean time here are a few more pics of the Olympian he still needs flames and a plinth plus a few things but it is now starting to look like he should look. All we need now is someone too put on some Olympics somewhere conveniently to hand.







It is not the winning it is the taking part


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10 comments:

  1. The Olympian looks great..or should I say GRAY-T. As for art you can go see: http://weburbanist.com/2008/11/28/cardboard-art-and-sculptures/ You have company and I like yours better.

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    1. I had a look, I think I prefer mine also, but then I would say that I guess.

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  2. I disagree completely when you say you're not talented. I adored the angel that you made last year and I think that the Olympian is simply amazing.

    I swear if I saw that in a store, I would purchase it. (with the paint, it really does look like it was made of metal)

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    1. That is very kind of you to say so Miss Lily but sadly these things are frail-ish and so selling to the punters in a shop is not really an option they need to be in a gallery with a snooty man looking down his nose at the public. But then that whines me up and I would take it away again and stick two fingers up at him.

      Such is the life of an artist

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  3. Wow, it looks great! I wish I could build things like that, but I'm really not a very artistic person! You're so right about art today too, it seems like almost anything can be called art these days.

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    1. Art has lost its way as far as I can see and I like modern art, even some of the early conceptual stuff. But sadly skill, talent and creating art for the right reasons is thin on the ground these days.

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  4. I am very proud of you, very nice indeed. Perhaps you a re this generations Andy Warhol or better. So maybe there are millions to made from your board de card in the bright distant future.

    I love to take thing a-part, even the word apart. I think that is what I am meant for, eXcept I have never lived in an a-part-meant, at least none that I can remember. No wait, there was college. Never mind.

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    1. Andy Warhol was certainly a maverick rebel, I suspect I am just a bit too middle class to emulate his sort of position in the art world. But I will still hold my head up high as the unknown and completely obscure maverick rebel of a unsung artistic movement. And of course the founder and leader of the Radical Abstract Thinkers (RATs).

      I loved that subtle link of college and never mind, a college that has never had a mind in it would amuse Andy Warhol a great deal I'm sure.

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  5. You are extremly talented Rob. I wouldn't even know where to start with such a project. I am both jealous and full of admiration for anyone (you) who has the skills and vision to create something that is both visually stunning as well and conceptually brilliant.
    I applaud you efforts and you should be very proud of yourself. stunning.

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    1. Well Mr H as a part of RATs (Radical Abstract Thinkers) it is an all for one and one for all little group. So if I ever get to Tate Modern then all the RATs will have to be at Tate Modern. OK I will let the rest of you off with drinking champers and mingling with the masses.

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