A New Statute to Honor Dr. King

[Kahaih]

Being just arms, along with the repositioning of the hands, is too sexual. Not the innocent, caring embrace seen in the photo.

It's as though this thing is an attempt to bring up/back all the old rumors and accusations about him being an unstoppable womanizer.

 

[Peloso]

The second picture looks like a squid with giant man hands.

 

[pornoboy]

What if they has asked Picasso...


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[NotHardUp1]

What if they has asked Picasso...


View attachment 1914224​

That's not King Charles, right?

 

[NotHardUp1]

*clenches up butt cheeks*

Several elevations of the sculpture look completely obscene without ANY enhancement. Just pathetic.

Dr. King deserves a lot better than this.

 

[Latimer]

New monument honoring MLK elicits crude criticism. Hear artist's response | CNN

Hank Willis Thomas, the conceptual artist behind "The Embrace," a monument commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King's relationship, joins "CNN This Morning" to discuss the criticism the statue has received.

www.cnn.com

Mr. Thomas says the sculpture was "selected by the people of Boston." Hardly. I have little doubt that the people would have passed on anything more than a modest life-size statue of Dr. and Mrs. King.

From some angles it looks more like a giant sweet potato than a penis.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

I change my mind, I like it. It's the most honest representation of Dr King on America soil. Unrecogizable and abstract, we've bastardized his story into a feel-good tale about how racial harmony is possible if *checks notes* black people stop talking about racism. Because talking about racism is the real racism, don'tchaknow! The same way you wouldn't recognize this statue as a memorial to him, you wouldn't recognize any of his ideals in our public policy. It's superficial, excessive and pointless, just like having a holiday to honor a man whose life's work is being undone the other 364 days after his bday every year. Ironically people invoke his "contet of character" quote as a shield against being called out for their racism-- according to their logic talking about race = racism hence MLK was one of the biggest racists in history. It's all one huge mind-fuck.

This man was outspoken as could be but we've melted his persona down into an easily-digestible racial Santa Claus that makes everybody feel warm and fuzzy inside.

You and I are on the same page here.

I grew up in the 1960's surrounded by black-owned media; newspapers, magazines and radio. The complex and critical man that I understood to be Dr. King has been watered down into, as you said, a civil rights Santa Claus.

In one of the final interviews with Coretta Scott King, she revealed in controlled anger how she lost her husban, then her family, to the civil rights movement. Yet her biggest fear was what history would do to both of them. Martin would be watered down into everybody's favorite uncle, and Coretta would disappear altogether.

Raising statutes to people seems sooooo 19th century to me.

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

We need to watch the artist to see if he purchases a new sports car soon, cuz that thing did NOT cost $10mil.

If it's a penis it's def uncircumsized so... at least us uncut guys got a shoutout.

 

[Latimer]

You and I are on the same page here.

I grew up in the 1960's surrounded by black-owned media; newspapers, magazines and radio. The complex and critical man that I understood to be Dr. King has been watered down into, as you said, a civil rights Santa Claus.

In one of the final interviews with Coretta Scott King, she revealed in controlled anger how she lost her husban, then her family, to the civil rights movement. Yet her biggest fear was what history would do to both of them. Martin would be watered down into everybody's favorite uncle, and Coretta would disappear altogether.

Raising statutes to people seems sooooo 19th century to me.

I find inspiration in statues which convey character, or even the idea of character. But I need to see a face.

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

I find inspiration in statues which convey character, or even the idea of character. But I need to see a face.

Statues don't really inspire anybody. You telling me if he simply added a head to this thing it would suddenly awaken your inner civil rights activist?

 

[Latimer]

I am often deeply moved by art. It is one of the great joys of my life, and a wellspring of inspiration for me,

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

I am often deeply moved by art. It is one of the great joys of my life, and a wellspring of inspiration for me,

Aesthetically, I'm sure. Beyond that? Doubtful if not arguable. Martin Luther King didn't live his life to inspire paintings and sculptures, he fought and gave his life to inspire social movements, the kind most of the people giving him this cheap happy birthday lip service refuse to participate in.

Which circles back to what I said, he's been reduced to a snuggly teddy bear, an accessory, an afterthought to make you feel good without ever piercing the surface or doing the slighest amount of introspection to see if we've lived up to his vision. We desecrated his legacy long before this artist ever did. Nobody's even pretending otherwise. You could prove me wrong and share with the class what ACTION he inspired in your life or, again, how your politics are in any way shape or form compatible with his. <<< (or admit that they aren't)

 

[Peloso]

^ Like our personal memories, the legacy of heroes gets romanticized and distorted as the years go on.

If Jesus came back in, say, Alabama, he'd probably get deported.

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

^ Like our personal memories, the legacy of heroes gets romanticized and distorted as the years go on.

If Jesus came back in, say, Alabama, he'd probably get deported.

Touche sis. Amazing how despite these wellsprings of inspiration King planted all over the US we're working backwards against the progress he made. Isn't that somethin.....

If MLK came back today he'd be called a woke liberal socialist commie who hates America and hates white people and is trying to steal from the hardworking millionaires to give to the lazy wretched poor. The only diffeence between then and now is the death threats would be electronic this time.

I must say I'm feeling inspired now. Gonna start speaking to conservatives in MLK quotes but I won't tell them til after their response, which we can already predict as I did above. The results are definitely going on my podcast.

 

[Alistair]

^ Like our personal memories, the legacy of heroes gets romanticized and distorted as the years go on.

If Jesus came back in, say, Alabama, he'd probably get deported.

Can you just imagine all the Karens and Kyles calling the police on him.

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

Can you just imagine all the Karens and Kyles calling the police on him.

Why would you do illiteration? You know that turns me on..... points deducted for not using "cops"

 

[Alistair]

Why would you do illiteration? You know that turns me on..... points deducted for not using "cops"

Bonus points for PoPo?

 

[nycguydowntown]

Was a very funny thing on The Daily Show on this subject and summed up my feelings exactly lol

 

[Latimer]

Aesthetically, I'm sure. Beyond that? Doubtful if not arguable. Martin Luther King didn't live his life to inspire paintings and sculptures, he fought and gave his life to inspire social movements, the kind most of the people giving him this cheap happy birthday lip service refuse to participate in.

Which circles back to what I said, he's been reduced to a snuggly teddy bear, an accessory, an afterthought to make you feel good without ever piercing the surface or doing the slighest amount of introspection to see if we've lived up to his vision. We desecrated his legacy long before this artist ever did. Nobody's even pretending otherwise. You could prove me wrong and share with the class what ACTION he inspired in your life or, again, how your politics are in any way shape or form compatible with his. <<< (or admit that they aren't)

I don't care to debate what you have decided my politics are. I don't care. Waste of my time.

However, I would like to "share with the class" (to borrow your phrase) that for a few years I have been giving talks on both architecture and the architectural profession, as well as team teaching design classes at a Los Angeles charter school whose administration is largely black and whose student body is entirely black. (A classical architecture organization I belong to has developed a relationship with the school.) I enjoy this much as I did teaching at university, at times more. In doing so, I hope to give these boys and girls, young men and women, insight into a profession that they otherwise wouldn't have, as well as help them develop skills that may be useful to them in the coming years. As importantly, I hope to nurture interest in--love, to be perfectly honest--our shared cultural heritage, as I also bring history and the visual arts into my talks. (Kenneth Clark's 'Civilisation' is the model here.) I've been told by a number of them what an inspiring teacher I am. Mentors were hugely important in my development as I was growing up. This is my way of mentoring young people who may not otherwise have mentors in their lives.

I don't do this to feel virtuous, or to impress anyone other than my students.

 

[Latimer]

Back to the original topic, that is, the MLK memorial statue: the reason the statue is controversial is that it is the statue is ugly. Public art should be beautiful, and it's not. It's repulsive.