I rushed to see the Samuel McIntire, Carving an American Style exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum before it closed and was justly rewarded. The exhibit explores Samuel McIntire's contributions to the American design vocabulary. As woodcarver, architect and designer, he was among the first to carve eagles in wood to ornament buildings, furniture and other decorative art objects. The eagle came to signify the power of a nation, what came immediately to my mind- what does today's obsession with skull motifs signify? What does it mean that someone paid $122M for Damien Hirst's diamond encrusted skull? Why do Heidi Klum and Seal travel with a $2000 bag covered in skulls? The following day, the inside cover of the NY Times magazine had a Honda ad with the American eagle dominantly featured. Graffiti will inform design in the short term, but on this President's Day I'm convinced that the powerful iconic symbolism of the classical will continue to endure.
No comments:
Post a Comment