http://www.indy.com/posts/4706 en-us lisa_citymouse See, a digital drunk guy could be funny and I think more interesting than the current stuff, because it would add humor and irony (both things I value). Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:33:19 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13904 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13904 caralyn Ohhh - good call - man passed out could be a series and the first could be "drunken sailor" and the second could be "the fall"... can conceptual art suck? it all seems so brilliant until i think about it too much Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:12:47 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13898 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13898 Shimmercore I think I'm in the minority of people who likes the walking people art displays. Several of my close friends have expressed utter contempt for the pieces, but I like how it's making our streets look more futuristic. I would like to see some digital versions of a man passed out from drinking too much. We could put those in Broad Ripple. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:06:59 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13895 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13895 lisa_citymouse snicker Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:53:06 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13891 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13891 julianopie Love ya, roniwhorn. Finally, someone who really "gets me"! Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:50:31 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13890 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13890 lisa_citymouse http://www.indy.com/posts/4706# HA! I love you, John. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:47:55 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13887 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13887 johnnyglucose So how much money did indy.com give to Opie to create the "icon" of the avatar image that appears when people don't add an picture to their profile? That's an image in its "purest form". Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:45:08 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13886 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13886 lisa_citymouse Word. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:41:46 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13884 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13884 lisa_citymouse Just because others and I don't like Opie's work certainly does not give YOU the right to label us as people who are obtuse and ignorant and think of art appreciation as buying prints from Hobby Lobby. That's insulting, especially to people who can sometimes only afford to decorate their homes with prints from retail stores. At least that's something. I wouldn't talk about you that way just because you happen to be a fan of his work (albeit a mighty rude one). If you can't make a valid argument based on criticism of an artist's work (not slamming anyone who happens not to appreciate his work on a personal level, I might add) then you should keep your fingers off the keyboard. There's no need for personal attacks or childish nastiness. I don't think that I or the other commenters are missing Opie's point. I just think there are better and more visually stimulating ways of making that point. As Stellar Swarm put it, just because it's supposed to be cheesy doesn't make it successful. Sometimes cheesy is best on crackers. By the way, you can make art with photography that is fresh imagery and not just a reproduction of what is already existing. That quote is elitist and self-involved. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:40:38 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13882 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13882 StellarSwarm With all due respect, somehow reminds me of an argument I once got in about the movie "Snakes on a Plane". I thought it looked like a horrible movie from the minute I saw the previews, refused to pay to see it in theatres, and had to be dragged kicking and screaming to watch it for free at a friend's house...after which, I concluded that I was right, it DID suck. My friend's argument was "That's the point! It's SUPPOSED to be cheesy!" Uh-huh...well...thank God I didn't waste MY money on it. I have the same feeling about the Opie pieces. Maybe it IS his intent to make them as simplified as possible. But understanding the intent doesn't mean you have to like it. I agree with the others who don't feel like there's any talent in drawing something with a perfect circle for a head. I would suggest Bansky or Shepard Fairy (OBEY) for good iconic art. I especially like the poster Shepard Fairy just made for the Obama campaign. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonx/2236022136/ Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:28:55 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13881 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13881 ronlewhorn You are ALL missing the point and focus of Opie's work. It is the same philosophy that made you all hang generic prints from hobby lobby of Piet Mondrian and Pablo Picasso in your living room forever making that statement that you have classy art taste! His work is about taking something down to its simplest form while still being recognizable. The purest form of an image: the ICON. How is this not engaging?!? It's looking at something in a way you never would have. A wise man once said: Ever since the invention of the camera, why create what's already there? I want to make what wouldn't exist without me! Genius. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:38:34 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13875 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13875 lisa_citymouse I love it! Especially the Fremont troll, Eating a Biscuit Together, the Shark, the computer chip Mona Lisa and the space cow. The Blue Road is pretty cool, too. It changes the landscape, even when you zoom out to an aerial view it stands out. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:57:20 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13867 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13867 Ben Neff Does the public art on this page do it for you? 33 Weird Statues and Sculptures Around The World Personally, I like The Thumb, Melting cow, the pregnant sculpture in Manhattan and the astronaut cow. The blue road in the Netherlands is pretty cool too. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:42:06 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13865 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13865 lisa_citymouse That's supposed to be Bryan Adams? Yeah, that could be anyone. I just assumed it wasn't supposed to be a particular person. That's what I mean. To me, his stuff lacks soul. It's initially attention-getting because of the scale and, particularly with his walkers, a medium we're not used to seeing with public art. But there's not enough there to hold my interest or make me think or just look at it for more than just a few seconds. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:30:53 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13855 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13855 johnnyglucose I found it ridiculous and absurd that Julian Opie's statue of Canadian rocker Bryan Adams was only identifiable as Adams by its title. Basically a zero for a face and mannequin body that might as well have been designed by a cheap computer. Opie's an artist all right....a con artist! Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:47:59 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13851 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13851 lisa_citymouse http://www.indy.com/posts/4706# It's definitely art. I'm not one of those snobs who dares to say something is or isn't art. I will say whether or not I like something, whether or not I think it's provocative in some way. And sometimes art isn't paricularly well done technically, either. Anyway, does anyone have any other thoughts about the state of local public art in general? Should there be more of it? Less? What kinds of art do you want to see? Do we need more public art from Indy artists in town or is it more valuable to have big name artists display their work for tourism and publicity's sake? Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:33:51 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13846 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13846 obeythedoberman i don't care if it is considered art or not but those walking people signs are awesome! if you've seen the ones in bigger cities they're even cooler. the ones in Toronto stretch far and wide and have multiple people. i just think they're aesthetically pleasing. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:20:01 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13840 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13840 lisa_citymouse Thanks for the tip. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:16:39 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13839 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13839 lisa_citymouse I assume you're referring to Julian Opie. I'm not saying the man lacks skill. I am just not excited about his work, especially his stuff in town. It lacks expressiveness, it's not engaging. He might not want it to be but I still don't care for it. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:12:26 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13838 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13838 kmeelah Alright, here's the link to that guy's post. I encourage you to go duke it out... http://www.indy.com/posts/4637 Fri, 08 Feb 2008 17:15:44 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13558 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13558 kmeelah You should talk with the one guy on here who's crazy about those "Streetwalker" signs. I agree with you they're not all that exciting. Hang on a minute, I'll get his name... Fri, 08 Feb 2008 17:08:13 -0500 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13556 http://www.indy.com/posts/4706#comment_13556