Security hired for Obama statue while in Pearland, Texas

[Catherine Vincent]

http://blogs.chron.com/pearland/2009/06/security_hired_for_obama_statu.html



June 04, 2009
Security hired for Obama statue while in Pearland


One of my favorite quotes comes from Theodore Roosevelt. He said:

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."

I love it because it's meaningful no matter who is in office. When members of the public are allowed to express opinions, you get a democracy.

There were a lot of opinions about David Adickes' 20-foot-tall bust of Barack Obama kicking off its tour in Pearland. After spending a night in Pearland, the statue will visit 30 cities in eight states on its way to its final destination at the Presidents Park near Deadwood, S.D.

[Captain Hilts]

1. It was when he saw a HUGE depiction of his head in a parade that FDR decided

the cult of the personality - and NO ONE liked it more than he - had gone too far...

[Bonhomme Richard]

2. That's kinda creepy. n/t

[napoleon_in_rags]

3. It does seem to be going a little far, doesn't it?

When are we going to start building pyramid tombs for our presidents? ;)

[gratuitous]

4. Let's make one for the Bushes, and see how we like it

And, following the Bush Doctrine of pre-emptive war, I see no reason to wait until the last moment to entomb them. If we think it's a good idea, we'll build tombs for the rest of them.

[napoleon_in_rags]

20. LOL! nt

[NV Whino]

5. I wouldn't worry about it

No one will recognize it as being Obama.

[Uzybone]

7. its easy to recognise,

its not a statue of a white guy (we have thousands of those) and its not MLK Jr.

[depakid]

8. Youd think someone going through all that time, trouble and expense

might produce a more realistic likeness.

Hell, the image at the Sphinx is better than than that....

[Catherine Vincent]

16. I agree.

I didn't think it looked like Obama either. But it will pass.

[Uzybone]

6. Good, I'm sure racists of all stripes abhor the idea

[Manifestor_of_Light]

9. David Adickes produces nothing but statues of big ugly white politicians.

There's an abomination outside Huntsville that is a big statue of Tyrannosaurus Sam, as I call him.
:rofl: Sam Houston.

http://www.texas-pictures.net/sam_houston_statue.html

He wanted to donate his series of huge busts of all the presidents to Williamsburg. He couldn't understand why they didn't want them. They are ugly, huge and grotesque.

His studio is in Houston. Truly awful. Embodies everything about old white guys who think that women and minorities are not important in hitory.

:puke:

[angel823]

10. I have to wonder

how much you really know about David Adickes and his work - yeah he does do the big white busts of presidents, and Sam Houston, but he has other work as well, and studied in France. Here are some examples of other work (Virtuosso, The Beatles, etc.) using the same technique (the bland, white concrete form):

<http://www.thegardenartforum.com/sb/index.php?mod=content&id=94&hid=30&itemid=>

Here are some of his paintings (doesn't look like he hates women so much):



Look, I don't know the man personally, or his politics, but I think he is an artist, not a politician. When he assembled four of his president busts alongside a tangle of major freeways close to downtown Houston (which I drive by almost every day), he called it: Mount Rush Hour. I thought that was funny.

Maybe he is what you say, but I'm curious - on what are you basing your opinion, just the president busts?

Peace,
Angel

[Uzybone]

11. hey this is DU. Everyone is an expert on everything.

[angel823]

14. hehe

yeah, life is like that - not just on DU.

I'm always a little shy to post, hence my low post count, but I do appreciate the myriad of opinions here. This one got to me because it was a post about our current President's bust needing security, which it shouldn't, and it turned into an indictment of an artist based on a subset of his work.

If DA is indeed a racist, misogynist pig, and Manifestor of Light has something other than the president's busts to back that claim up, then I stand corrected.

Peace,
Angel

[Manifestor_of_Light]

13. Yes, I have seen the Beatles sculpture.

I don't like it. I think he threw some stylized elements together without really pondering what they looked like.

I have driven and walked by the cellist many times. It's next to the opera house.

I don't know why he doesn't do statues of women, even an anonymous woman. Everybody in the quartet around the cellist is male.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

15. I've driven by the four busts you speak of.

Right where I-10 East turns into I-45 South and the Pierce Elevated.

BOOORING.

[angel823]

18. paintings

Some of his paintings are of women. I'm not looking for an argument, and I'm not a huge fan of his, other than enjoying the joke about Mount Rush Hour. I'm also not enough of an expert in art to pretend that I can judge his work, other than to say whether I like it or not myself. So I guess all I'm saying is just because he doesn't sculpt women doesn't mean he doesn't think women (or minorities) are important.

If you don't like his work, cool. I can take it or leave it myself.

Angel

[tammywammy]

17. OMG! He did the Sam Houston statue!

;)

[proteus_lives]

12. Isn't it a bit early for Obama statues?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

19. Williamsburg turns up nose at presidential heads.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2000/jul/04/20000704-011712-4481r/print/

YORKTOWN, Va. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is protesting a project that would place a collection of gigantic presidential busts in a wooded area about two miles from Williamsburg.

Foundation officials believe the 18-to-24-foot-high concrete busts of every president from George Washington to Bill Clinton are "tacky and tasteless" and would detract from the historic value of Colonial Williamsburg.