On to the art. As we have seen on LAR, the Robber Baron series is a set of interior pieces that both glorifies and shames the ignoble lives of 19th century American tycoons. The Robber Baron table lamp is one such piece, which follows the criteria as a combined effort of great architectural achievements, stacking the Parthenon, Empire State Building and St Peter's Basilica. It is all black except for the light emitting from within the building, and the bronze cloud ring from which the building triumphantly towers through and above.
Atop the structure is the Empire State Building's famous spire. From this we see, attached by its nose, a Zeppelin-like airship. When the Empire State Building was built, this spire was intended to act as a moor for such airships. This proved impractical because of the turbulent updrafts caused by the buildings height.
While the Robber Baron table lamp symbolizes man's great achievements from the ancients to modern day, the inclusion of the airship, a technological failure, casts an ironic doubt on these accomplishments. With failed technology came the downfall of many American fatcats, along with their dreams, money and power.
Photo Credit: vam.ac.uk
Saturday, 25 July 2009
ARTeFact o' the Week! Learning about the world, one artwork at a time
Studio Job's Robber Baron table lamp, 2006
First things first. Did some insane couple really name their son 'Studio Job'? Is this the necessary stroke of genius that ensures a kid will grow up to be rich and famous??
Unfortunately, this isn't the case. Well maybe we should name our children Art Mogul or Ty Coon, but the success of this is yet to be proven. (Hieronymus Bosch?) Studio Job is a Dutch design studio created by Job Smeets in 1998, and later joined by Nynke Tynagel, as well as a number of assistants. Yeah, a little disappointing, but Job and Nynke's names are still under suspicion as the sole justification of their artistic creativity.
On to the art. As we have seen on LAR, the Robber Baron series is a set of interior pieces that both glorifies and shames the ignoble lives of 19th century American tycoons. The Robber Baron table lamp is one such piece, which follows the criteria as a combined effort of great architectural achievements, stacking the Parthenon, Empire State Building and St Peter's Basilica. It is all black except for the light emitting from within the building, and the bronze cloud ring from which the building triumphantly towers through and above.
Atop the structure is the Empire State Building's famous spire. From this we see, attached by its nose, a Zeppelin-like airship. When the Empire State Building was built, this spire was intended to act as a moor for such airships. This proved impractical because of the turbulent updrafts caused by the buildings height.
While the Robber Baron table lamp symbolizes man's great achievements from the ancients to modern day, the inclusion of the airship, a technological failure, casts an ironic doubt on these accomplishments. With failed technology came the downfall of many American fatcats, along with their dreams, money and power.
Photo Credit: vam.ac.uk
On to the art. As we have seen on LAR, the Robber Baron series is a set of interior pieces that both glorifies and shames the ignoble lives of 19th century American tycoons. The Robber Baron table lamp is one such piece, which follows the criteria as a combined effort of great architectural achievements, stacking the Parthenon, Empire State Building and St Peter's Basilica. It is all black except for the light emitting from within the building, and the bronze cloud ring from which the building triumphantly towers through and above.
Atop the structure is the Empire State Building's famous spire. From this we see, attached by its nose, a Zeppelin-like airship. When the Empire State Building was built, this spire was intended to act as a moor for such airships. This proved impractical because of the turbulent updrafts caused by the buildings height.
While the Robber Baron table lamp symbolizes man's great achievements from the ancients to modern day, the inclusion of the airship, a technological failure, casts an ironic doubt on these accomplishments. With failed technology came the downfall of many American fatcats, along with their dreams, money and power.
Photo Credit: vam.ac.uk
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