SeonAe Moon: Arts at West Side

Reclining Figure

Reclining Figure made by Henry Moor who is a British artist and who is well known for semi-abstract monumental bronze works. The figure is weighted about 6 tons, and placed in the Paul Milstein Pool Terrace at Lincoln Center. The pool terrace can be seen behind bowery tress if visitors come across a wide empty square of the Lincoln center. Visitors would feel they find a secret hidden place in a crowd city. The pool is made of dark blue-grey concrete and filled up with shallow water.  Two parts of bronze sculptures are reflected on the water, which is smooth as glass. When wind is blowing, it is shaking reflection of the figure placidly. Behind of the sculptures, there are horizontal askew benches covered with green grass, and there is Julliard School, which is famous for a performing arts conservatory, behind of the benches. Visitors are sitting on the benches and have chatting. The figure itself has very complex set of movements and weights. Color of the figure is dark green-grey and surfaces are rough. If it were placed somewhere else like the entrance square of the Lincoln Center, it would give feelings of heavy and stuffy. However, with harmony of its surrounding environments, shallow pool, trees, green benches and low chatting sounds, Reclining Figure creates very calm and peaceful atmosphere.

  

Le Guichet

This metal sculpture is created by Alexander Calder in 1963. “Le Guichet”, which means the box office, is a 14-foot-tall black sculpture. It is abstract shaped sculpture. An irregular shaped holes looks like a giant spider. That holes represent a ticket box windows as its names describes. While visitors take a picture under the holes as they buy a ticket at the box office, they could see sky through its holes. It creates other feelings to visitors. Before visitors see this sculpture, they are surrounded by tall buildings and crowded. They are between skyscrapers and heavy traffic with horns. This sculpture is lower compared with its surroundings in New York City. In addition, three buildings surround it, so it looks lower than any others. These low and high balances between buildings create harmony. It is like one theory in my country; if there is cold energy, there should be warm energy. If there is high energy, there should be low energy, too. If balanced opposite balanced energies are existed at the same place, it is harmonized. “Le Guichet” creates a secured and stable place where visitors can take a rest with comfort feelings. The black painted steel of the sculpture also harmonizes with grey concrete buildings around it.

 The Triumph of Music & The Sources of Music

        

                          

If visitors enter the Lincoln center, they can meet a splendid fountain and three big buildings, which are New York State Theater on the left, Avery Fisher Hall on right and Metropolitan Opera House at the center. At the Metropolitan Opera House, there are two big entrances with huge glasses windows that visitors can see through inside the buildings. There are different paintings that fill each wall. Without knowledge of the paintings, visitors are easy to recognize they are painted by Chagall; colors and techniques of the paintings are very obvious to tell. They are painted in Paris and sent to New York in 1966. They are one of the largest murals of Chagall, 30 feet by 36 feet. Visitors can find famous figures in the paintings such as Orpheus, Wagner and Bach. Even though they are one of the proudest and beloved murals by many people in New York City, the murals are not visible if visitors don’t pay attention. The Triumph of Music is displayed at the building, which is closed. It is not accessible to look close. The painting is displayed at the second floor, and the entrance glass is mirror-effect. Only way to see the painting is to go back and observe a part of the painting. The Source s of Music can be seen barely, because of a big red sign on the glass at the entrance. The sign covers the painting, so it is not visible if visitors go close to the building and look up. The second floor, where the painting is hung, is also closed. In addition, two buildings block the paintings to protect them with curtains against the sunlight. Two murals are treasures, not only to the Lincoln Center, but also to the New York City. It is important to maintain them in good condition, but the Lincoln Center should give more accessibility to visitors.