This is my first time notice that there are two paintings in the library although I usually go to library. Each time when I walk though the painting, I do not pay any attention on it. However, this time, I stopped at those two pictures and looked at it really carefully. I do not want to miss any detail about those paintings. The first painting I saw was Development of Arts mural and I was really interested about this painting. The Mural consists of a tree and its branches break up the different periods of time. It contained different elements and told us about the development of arts. It showed us that in different period of time, the artists would use different ways to tell other people what they were thinking. I think this kind of painting is public art because everyone is allowed to see it. Student can go to library anytime they want and enjoy the paintings. Just like what Doss said in her article Public Art Controversy “public art is as diverse as the people who view it.” Thankfully, our campus has the pleasure of being able to display great pieces of art and the library is not the only place that we get to see the creations of great artists.
I was grew up in China and my father owns an art gallery. When I was young, I usually went to the gallery and played with those artists. So art was a big part of my life, when I looked at some public art, I would consider what is the meaning of the art. I really agree with Doss idea “public art was a form of civic improvement and could help generate a shared sense of civic and national identity”(Doss 4). This opinion really explain why we need public art and what does the public art mean to people. This kind of art allow people to remember the civic of that area and people will never forget how hard their ancestors work. There was a big bull sculpture in Shenzhen. In China the bull represent the pioneer of that city and the sculpture is to remind people to work as those pioneers – hardworking and never give up. The public art allows you to see what members of your community are able to create with their own thoughtful thinking. Doss also brings up, “Public art is seen as a solution to the problem of placelessness, especially in its ability to remedy social alienation and generate a sense of civic and community identity”(Doss 5). In 1950s, the biggest problem in Jiangxi, the middle part in China, was corruption. The government did not work for the citizen but for money. At that time, all the young people want to become a member of government so that they do not need to work hard. However, after several years, president Mao found out this problems and gave some reification actions. In 1960, there was a cat sculpture built in front of the government building. ( In Chinese culture, those people who work for money are mice. The cat tells the people who work for the government should not be the mouse because there is a cat in front of the building and the cat will eat the mouse anytime.)
In my opinion, public art is not only a beautiful picture but also have a huge impact on building a community. The public art shows in various aspects relate to the development of civilization and the diversity of human culture. People will be influenced by the public art. Just as Doss said, “as an instrument of public conversation, public art can become a catalyst for civic and national revitalization. Often because it is controversial, public art can play a central role in shaping and directing community identity” (Page 10). I believe that the public art has more to offer than what people would expect.
Reference
Doss, E. (2006, October). Public art controversy: Cultural expression and civic debate. Retrieved from http://www.americansforthearts.org/pdf/networks/pan/doss_controversy.pdf