Yesterday, I referred to the Spanish painter, Antonio Lopez Garcia.  This is one of two bronze head sculptures titled, “Day” (eyes open) and “Night” (eyes closed) out in front of the newly opened Fenway entrance to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.  The artist had an exhibit here in the Spring of 2008 and these heads were originally out in front of the Huntington Avenue entrance which is now closed due to a huge Museum expansion project.

Garcia did these sculptures (he had never ever done scultpures in this size before) in response to his grandchildren and they were completed uncharacteristically in a very timely manner.  He is well known for taking a very long time to finish his projects and even then, sometimes he does not finish.  I loved his attitude toward this phenomenon that might cause breakdowns in others: He says in the interview here that he does not apologize or agonize over things that are not completed.  He says, “You have to respect the reasons why the work was interrupted.”  He says that the layer upon layer of painting over something adds “weight’ to the evolving work.

In this same interview, he says his work is in response to  “something that bursts into my life that moves me” and that can be an open refrigerator, a bathroom, a table, a clothes rack.  In other words, simple, every day things.

He goes on to say that this foray into monumental scale in these bronze head sculptures he has found very interesting because although they are of his granchildren, the scale makes them transcend into a world where they become about many things, known or unkown.

When I left the museum yesterday, I had read nothing about these sculptures.  I wondered why they had been chosen to be outside the museum.  I wondered why the one with eyes open was facing west and the one with eyes closed was facing east.  I would have thought the reverse would have been right.

As I stood there, I thought well, here’s my reason that they were placed out in front.  Visiting a museum for me invariably leaves me feeling that my eyes are more fully open walking out than they were walking in.  I simply “see” in a different way as a result of exposure to the vision of the artists within.

When I got home, I googled my way through this artist and these sculptures.  They shall go from Boston to the Madrid train station where the terrorist bombings took place in 2005. Gulp.  I think this falls into the category of art in monumental scale taking on meaning, known and unkown, don’t you?

And, OH, YES, one more thing!  The artist said in one of the articles I read that the child’s head sculpture with the eyes open should be facing east.

“Yeah,” I said, polishing my brass buttons. “I knew it!”

© Pat Coakley 2008

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