5.16.2008

The Ideal Woman

There is this great “shop” along Colorado Street that always has art in the windows. It is constantly changing and I always enjoy walking along this sections of the street enjoying the new depictions artists come up with: the new ways I get to view life and take in my surroundings. We have had some pretty interesting art in the past: some beautiful, some extremely abstract – all unique in their own way. Recently a furniture store moved in to a couple of the sections where art used to be. This makes me sad. A little piece of culture is now gone. All for the sake of comfort and laziness. But there are still two panels left that contain the ever switching artists’ gift to the city of Pasadena. I want to share with you the latest one that is up right now [I had to take the picture in two sections]










This does not sit right with me. I was walking to my bank one day when I passed this – I don’t quite think it is finished. It looks to me like they are putting some mannequins up in the windows – but this was painted on one of them. And it stopped me. I had to take a picture and then think about it. I hate it I think. The idea woman has the spirit of a man? What is that all about? I like my spirit thank you very much and I don’t think I need any more man in me to make me any more ideal.

6 comments:

Michi said...

How strange.
a.) What exactly is the spirit of a man?
b.) TRAPPED in the body of a woman?

huh?

Unknown said...

I think yours was the intended reaction. This doesn't seem like the sort of thing someone would make expecting people to take it at face value. Probably more to get people thinking.

lizzo said...

i saw that a few weeks back and had two reactions:

1. that sounds misogynistic.
2. i think i believe that on some level. hmmm...

someone told me that the art is part of an organization in pasadena that gets art put in empty storefronts until new stores move in. pretty cool, huh? (until the stores move in, that is.)

Anonymous said...

Maybe it was some subtle OT artistic maneuver to harken back to the theology of Genesis, where it says God made woman from Adam's rib?
Or not.

trufi trekking said...

I'm enlightened.
Now I know men have spirits too.

Mark Baker-Wright said...

"Intended reaction" or not, I can't read this without seeing 2 implicit assumptions:

1. The "mind of a man" is superior to the "mind of a woman."
2. The "body of a man" is superior to the "body of a woman."

Naturally, I consider both assumptions vile and wrong. But I just can't see how, intentionally or not, one cannot write such a statement without holding both of these vile assumptions.