The Gates

Congratulations Christo and Jeanne-Claude!

New York the world's greatest art Mecca can finally boast a Christo. After wrapping half the world from his birth place in Bulgaria to the far off shores of Japan, Christo finally conquers New York.
I can remember back in 1982 talking to Christo at one of his art openings. It was at the local public gallery. He was very intense and full of purpose. Of course his mission was to raise money for future plans. The walls being covered with these plans and amongst them were the working drawings for a wrapped sidewalk in Central Park New York. There were also photos of past works like The Running Fence for sale. Art for sale in a public gallery was very unusual. Not surprising however for Christo and his mega projects.
There were several works pertaining to the wrapping of the sidewalk in Central Park, N.Y. with a saffron coloured fabric. Sidewalk, yes he had not developed his ideas of the Gates at this point. And the working drawings showing central park were wonderful black and whites with the saffron wrapping collaged on to the image of the park. The bright wrapping looked as if it were tied down using collaged on strings. At this time it was becoming evident that Christo was transforming his earlier idea of wrapping. Although he still had a lot of wrapped work to see realized.
I find it interesting that the N.Y. city project changed from its inception. We must keep in mind that it takes Christo up to twenty years to see some of his working drawings realized. This would allow him a lot of time to re-think and re-work his ideas. Also his life would be changing causing a need to alter past works.
I see quite a moral change in the work and its relationship to the audience. The earlier wrapped sidewalk would have stopped passage through the park or invited people to walk on it, an awkward task. Anyway you look at it; it is not a friendly relationship. The resulting work is far different in its relationship to the viewer. It is over head, something to go through, and seen in repetition for miles.
Christo's work has always been more than the resulting piece of art. The years of fundraising, getting political sanction and community support are also part of this work. It is like a great machine after years of running comes to rest only for a brief moment, reflecting on where it has been and where it will be going.
To see this work as merely an esthetic experience is to rob ones self of the real passage through the gate. Even if you can't fly to New York, you are free to pass through Christo's Gates. To enter a garden that took years to grow. To mull around these ideas of art, community, and social construct.
Christo pics....