Monroe Park on a Rainy Day (cont.)

These are some more pictures I took while wandering around Monroe Park on that cold day. There were a couple of imperfections in the walkways which were very interesting. After searching these paths for things to shoot, I stumbled across a patch of grass surrounded by asphalt. It sort of resembled an island, the green of the grass was surrounded by the wet darker hue of the asphalt, obviously analogous to a a body of land surrounded by water. According to Wikipedia (a.k.a. the best website ever created), Monroe Park was purchased in the 1850s, and began development as a recreation area in the 1870s (the walkways were probably also made soon afterwards). Thus, it is very interesting to see its modern state, nearly 130-140 years after its conception. Years of erosion, weathering, and maybe even blunt force to such a random parcel of the sidewalk is quite peculiar. The story of its creation is one that noone probably ever documented, yet its existence cannot be denied. It all falls into the genre of earth art that describes of the reclamation of manmade structures by the Earth. This subtle decay is rather beautiful, especially as its form alludes to other landforms (i.e. islands), furthering its ties to the Earth.

Some other pictures I took focused on imperfections on the curbs. These also fall into that nearly infinite category of Earth reclamation. In many of these pictures it seems as if the Earth is "attacking" the manmade asphalt on multiple fronts, invading its territory and conquering the underlying ground.

Naqsh-e-Rostam

Keeping with the theme of ancient Persian earth art, there is another piece/monument (which may or may not have served a practical purpose) that is quite interesting. It is known as Naqsh-e-Rostam, or "Picture of Rostam" (upper right picture). Rostam is a mythological figure in Persian culture, analogous to Hercules in Greek culture, who travels doing good deeds the likes slaying monsters (etc.). The picture is engraved into the side of a mountain. Adjacent to this piece is another, similarly styled engraving of King Ardeshir (a later Persian king, lower right picture). Also at the site is is a number of tombs etched into the side of the mountain range, most notably those of Darius the Great and King Xerxes I (Darius' son, and the guy from that movie "300"). Finally on this site is a cubicle temple protruding from the ground; it is not known for sure what this pecular building was used for, however the general consensus is that it is a Zoroastrian Atash Khooneh or "Fire Temple."

Ancient Earth Art: Persepolis

In my eyes, some of the best earth art is that which was created thousands of years ago. The creators were not looking to create art, per se, but these "pieces" actually had practical applications. The fact that they served integral parts of society, adds to the significance of the pieces. As buildings and monuments, they were beautiful; in decay, they are still beautiful. The decay of these ruins are not only brought about by weathering and erosion, but have experienced many years of war and wear as well. Many of you may be aware of some of the great examples of such ancient earth art, i.e. the Pyramids of Giza or the Great Wall of China. However, you may not be aware of another monument, the ancient Persian capital of Persepolis.

In the outskirts of the Iranian city of Shiraz, it is believed that this complex was begun by Darius The Great, and was completed at the end of the Achaemenid Dynasty. It consists of numerous palaces and government buildings, as well as community centers. The ceiling(s) was made of wood, and after invasion by Alexander the Great, it was burnt to the ground, leaving only the columns that supported the great structure. For more information, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persepolis. ArtSTOR (the Art Database) also has very high resolution pictures of the site (if you search Persepolis).

The following are a couple pictures of the site today. It is quite majestic in person.

"Gate of all Nations"

Entrance Gate to Persepolis


Stairs to Palace, with numerous stone reliefs, including one of a lion and a bull, symbolizing the struggle between the sun and the moon (my personal favorite)
Some shards of columns and statues that used to be parts of the palace, but now lay in the surrounding desert (in close proximity to the palace complex). I believe they are trying to restore these pieces.

Monroe Park on a Rainy Day

I am not sure that these pictures can be considered as art or not; however, some of them are rather interesting. I do know that pacing around in the rain with a camera will create awkward situations...

These first couple pictures are of what I call a Hobo's Library. My camera ran out of battery before I could capture more "artsy" angles of it. I feel it is a sort of juxtaposition (at least by traditional standards); it is comprised of a malt liquor-branded cardboard box, 2 newspapers (dates unknown) and a roll of toilet paper (every masculine library should have toilet paper).

What is Earth Art?

Earth Art is a form of art developed in 1960s and 1970s, as somewhat of a protest to the artificial materials traditionally used in art. These sculptures usually utilize natural materials, and are incorporated in the landscape. Many of its examples employ themes of minimalism and conservationism. Basically, it seems that this form of art manipulates the landscape in some fashion, utilizing natural materials that may be or may not be already present.

Many notable sculptures occur on grandiose scales. Such examples include Michael Heizer's Effigy Tumuli, which utilizes traditional Native American mound building techniques to geometrically represent animals (including species that are indigenous to the region the sculpture is located).