The Pagan Sphinx

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Monument to Pro-Life: The Birth of Sean Preston" (Brittany Spears)

Paris Hilton Sculpture by Daniel Edwards Read the full story here

18 comments:

kenjuJuly 2, 2008 at 7:31 PM
EW!

While he is a capable sculptor, the choice of subject matter leaves me cold!
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DianneJuly 2, 2008 at 9:35 PM
obnoxious was the very first word

I remember when I first saw the Britney piece, I felt annoyed lol

He is like a papparazzi of sculpture.
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AnonymousJuly 2, 2008 at 9:36 PM
Kenju said it perfectly. Technically skilled, but art? meh.
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UnknownJuly 2, 2008 at 9:55 PM
Paris Hilton's stupid little dog really made me gag!
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Sherry PasquarelloJuly 3, 2008 at 7:22 AM
very skilled crap.
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Life As I Know It NowJuly 3, 2008 at 10:07 AM
deliberately made to offend and titillate viewers.
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UnknownJuly 3, 2008 at 10:25 AM
But, Lib...perhaps the bronzed first poop of Tom Cruise's kid might be more to your liking! ;-)

This guy cracks me up. He may have sculpting talent but he is seriously lacking in imagination.

It appears that Britney Spears had a C-section, by the way! Get the gong!
:-D
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DivaJoodJuly 3, 2008 at 12:56 PM
Okay, I'm going to go out on a limb a little bit and say that he's making a comment on America's general obsession with pop culture. There is something so deeply comical about these pieces - they appear to be quite well made, and he pays hommage to historical statuary - but his choice of subject matter strikes me more as his comment on US.

So, I say art.
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UnknownJuly 3, 2008 at 2:01 PM
Good for you, Jood. It's the going out on a limb that makes this thread fun and interesting. I don't mean to sound like a person who swings in all directions without being decisive but I can see why you venture this opinion. I think the Cruise Baby's bronzed poop is rather funny and that certainly speaks clearly for your point of view. The Hilton and Spears sculptures, not so much, to my way of thinking. If you looked at the wike article on Williams, you'll find information about the Paris Hilton sculpture. She is supposed to be dead. I can't make it out clearly enough but it looks to me like her back is arched provocatively? If so, how unconvincing is it that for a piece that's supposed to illustrate the hazards of drinking and drugging, she looks so highly glamourized and pristine? I truly detest that one; especially knowing what the so-called symbolism is.

Thanks for contributing a thought-provoking comment. I love it.

Peace,
Pagan
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UnknownJuly 3, 2008 at 2:16 PM
I meant Edwards. Williams, Edwards. One of those Blue Blood names!
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AnonymousJuly 3, 2008 at 2:42 PM
Wasted talent and time.
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DivaJoodJuly 3, 2008 at 6:18 PM
Pagan, I agree, the bronze baby poop is hilarious. But even the supposedly erotic nature of these two examples is funny - because neither Brittany Spears nor Paris Hilton is remotely sexy.

Mind you, I would not go out of my way to see his work - but I do think he's funny, in almost the same genre as Jeff Koons.
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UnknownJuly 3, 2008 at 7:21 PM
"...because neither Brittany Spears nor Paris Hilton is remotely sexy."

Ha! Agreed 100%.
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UnknownJuly 3, 2008 at 7:22 PM
Oh, and your point is well taken. Thank you! :-)

Peace to you,
Pagan
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Kate MorningstarJuly 6, 2008 at 1:23 AM
I don't read enough tabloids, or watch TV or movies, so I didn't recognize the women.

They are technically beautiful, and they're an invitation to sex fantasy, and now that I know who they ARE, there's, I don't know if irony's the word I want. It's 1:30 in the morning -- I'm not firing on all eight cylinders. Both those women sell their bodies for money, and the sculptures say so out loud.
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UnknownJuly 6, 2008 at 10:02 AM
Kate: I wonder how the women feel about the sculptures...
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Steve EmeryJuly 18, 2008 at 10:30 PM
OK - about the Spears sculpture (I just plain dislike the Hilton sculpture):

I found this piece gripping in a weird way when I first saw it months ago. First of all, it's brilliant technically, a good likeness of the model, etc. That's hygiene, though. What's enthralling about this, to me, is the subject (and I don't mean who it is). Even though the moment of birth (crowning, in particular) has got to be one of the most "time out of time" overwhelming moments for parents (both of them in different ways, obviously!) I can't recall an artwork that powerfully and explicitly captures it. This one does. And that bear rug! Some people are appalled by it, but I think the bear embodies the yelling that often accompanies the crest of birth. I was struck by the odd calm on the woman's face, in contrast. And I was also caught by the aloneness of this moment which the sculpture seems to capture - even with others present, in this moment I think a woman can be painfully on her own.

But another part of me recoils from how close this gets to what drives the paparazzi. Because it is such a powerful moment, I want to like this - but knowing who it is and thus the cheap ticket to notoriety, it's spoiled.

I recoiled from the Hilton sculpture - much as I do from photos of her. She bothers me on some deep level - I'm repelled.
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UnknownJuly 20, 2008 at 2:52 PM
Steve:

Firstly, thanks for your extensive, well-thought out comment.

I read what you wrote about the Spears sculpture and went back and forth between your words and the image I posted. I do see what you mean. She looks human. I mean, how much more so can one get than giving birth. I guess what sort of turned me off WAS, in fact, knowing that it was Britney Spears. It's great that you were able to look at this art work and see beyond the subject. In doing so, you provoked me to take a second look. I liked this one better to the Hilton sculpture, which I think is freakish but I was not able to get beyond the fact that Spears gave birth to that baby by C-section. You were able to do that and the sculpture took on a new meaning for you.

Great comment. Thank you.
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