2014

On August 14, 1945, a crowd of 750,000 people gathered in Times Square, eyes eyes fixed on the Times Tower. At 7:03pm, the words finally blazed across the news zipper: "OFFICIAL – TRUMAN ANNOUNCES JAPANESE SURRENDER." Times Square exploded in a collective cry of joy and relief. By 10pm, the crowd had swelled to more than 2 million, as New Yorkers flooded the Square. The moment was famously captured by Alfred Eisenstaedt, who was in the square when he spotted a sailor "running along the street grabbing any and every girl in sight." Just south of 45th Street, looking north, he famously snapped a photo of the sailor kissing a nurse, with neither of their faces clearly shown, which ran in Time Life magazine with the caption, "In New York’s Times Square a white-clad girl clutches her purse and skirt as an uninhibited sailor plants his lips squarely on hers." Johnson’s Unconditional Surrender, however, is modeled after a photograph taken by U.S. Navy photo journalist Victor Jorgensen entitled, Kissing the War Good Bye, which captured another view of the same scene and was published in the New York Times the following day. Jorgensen’s photo, unlike Eisenstaedt’s, remains in the public domain. Unconditional Surrender, a monumental 25-foot sculpture depicting the famous VJ-Day kiss, was cast by J. Seward Johnson in 2005. Unconditional Surrender debuted as a bronze life-size sculpture in Times Square on August 14, 2005. A 25-foot styrofoam version was part of a temporary exhibition in Sarasota, Florida. he then started making 25-foot versions out of plastic and aluminum, which have been installed in San Diego and New Jersey

This statue of the iconic Marilyn is 26 feet (8 meters) tall!

"Confrontational Vulnerability" is a monumental painted styrofoam group, cast by Seward Johnson in 2011. It was inspired by Édouard Manet’s 1863 masterpiece, Olympia, first exhibited at the 1865 Paris Salon, which shows a nude woman ("Olympia") reclining on a bed, being brought flowers by a black servant. Also on the bed is a black cat, arching its back and seeming to hiss defensively at the viewer. Olympia was modeled by Victorine Meurent (who was to become an accomplished painter in her own right). The French government acquired the painting in 1890 after a public subscription organized by Claude Monet. The painting is now on display at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Why were visitors to the Paris gallery, already quite familiar with art featuring the naked body, so outraged by the painting that the gallery was forced to hire two policemen to protect the canvas? The objections to Olympia had more to do with the realism of the subject matter than the fact that the model was nude. Indeed, what shocked contemporary audiences was not Olympia’s nudity, nor the presence of her fully clothed maid, but her confrontational gaze. She stares out from the canvas at us, confronting us with an unwavering glance. This in itself was a cause for outrage because this woman dares to stare out, meeting the eye. It was scandalous for a woman in general, let alone a courtesan, to be so brazen as to stare directly at anyone. Moreover, many of the details of the picture identify her as a demi-mondaine or prostitute. These include the flower in her hair, her bracelet, pearl earrings and the oriental shawl on which she lies, symbols of wealth and sensuality. The black ribbon around her neck, in stark contrast with her pale flesh, and her cast-off slipper underline the voluptuous atmosphere. In the painting, the maid offers the courtesan a bouquet of flowers, presumably a gift from a client. She looks almost bored at the prospect of another gift, suggesting that this is not a first time occurrence or something to be overly excited about. Moreover, "Olympia" was a name associated with prostitutes in 1860s Paris. Although middle and upper-class men did frequent courtesans they did not want to be confronted with one in an art gallery. Viewers weren’t sure of Manet’s motives. Was he trying to produce a serious work of art? Was Olympia an attempt to parody other paintings? Or, worst of all, was he mocking them? In Seward Johnson’s treatment, Olympia’s room – which Manet leaves essentially to the viewer’s imagination – is depicted as a lush, upper middle class drawing room of the Second Empire. Moreover, by allowing the viewer into the frame, the sculptor invites us to focus on each of the characters depicted in the original painting: Olympia, her servant and the cat, which is arching its back and seems to be hissing at the viewer). The meaning of the painting seems to change depending on which subject is in the focal point. In my last photo of the series, I peeked from over her shoulder to look at what Olympia herself might have been seeing.

"Confrontational Vulnerability" is a monumental painted styrofoam group, cast by Seward Johnson in 2011. It was inspired by Édouard Manet’s 1863 masterpiece, Olympia, first exhibited at the 1865 Paris Salon, which shows a nude woman ("Olympia") reclining on a bed, being brought flowers by a black servant. Also on the bed is a black cat, arching its back and seeming to hiss defensively at the viewer. Olympia was modeled by Victorine Meurent (who was to become an accomplished painter in her own right). The French government acquired the painting in 1890 after a public subscription organized by Claude Monet. The painting is now on display at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Why were visitors to the Paris gallery, already quite familiar with art featuring the naked body, so outraged by the painting that the gallery was forced to hire two policemen to protect the canvas? The objections to Olympia had more to do with the realism of the subject matter than the fact that the model was nude. Indeed, what shocked contemporary audiences was not Olympia’s nudity, nor the presence of her fully clothed maid, but her confrontational gaze. She stares out from the canvas at us, confronting us with an unwavering glance. This in itself was a cause for outrage because this woman dares to stare out, meeting the eye. It was scandalous for a woman in general, let alone a courtesan, to be so brazen as to stare directly at anyone. Moreover, many of the details of the picture identify her as a demi-mondaine or prostitute. These include the flower in her hair, her bracelet, pearl earrings and the oriental shawl on which she lies, symbols of wealth and sensuality. The black ribbon around her neck, in stark contrast with her pale flesh, and her cast-off slipper underline the voluptuous atmosphere. In the painting, the maid offers the courtesan a bouquet of flowers, presumably a gift from a client. She looks almost bored at the prospect of another gift, suggesting that this is not a first time occurrence or something to be overly excited about. Moreover, "Olympia" was a name associated with prostitutes in 1860s Paris. Although middle and upper-class men did frequent courtesans they did not want to be confronted with one in an art gallery. Viewers weren’t sure of Manet’s motives. Was he trying to produce a serious work of art? Was Olympia an attempt to parody other paintings? Or, worst of all, was he mocking them? In Seward Johnson’s treatment, Olympia’s room – which Manet leaves essentially to the viewer’s imagination – is depicted as a lush, upper middle class drawing room of the Second Empire. Moreover, by allowing the viewer into the frame, the sculptor invites us to focus on each of the characters depicted in the original painting: Olympia, her servant and the cat, which is arching its back and seems to be hissing at the viewer). The meaning of the painting seems to change depending on which subject is in the focal point. In my last photo of the series, I peeked from over her shoulder to look at what Olympia herself might have been seeing.

"Confrontational Vulnerability" is a monumental painted styrofoam group, cast by Seward Johnson in 2011. It was inspired by Édouard Manet’s 1863 masterpiece, Olympia, first exhibited at the 1865 Paris Salon, which shows a nude woman ("Olympia") reclining on a bed, being brought flowers by a black servant. Also on the bed is a black cat, arching its back and seeming to hiss defensively at the viewer. Olympia was modeled by Victorine Meurent (who was to become an accomplished painter in her own right). The French government acquired the painting in 1890 after a public subscription organized by Claude Monet. The painting is now on display at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Why were visitors to the Paris gallery, already quite familiar with art featuring the naked body, so outraged by the painting that the gallery was forced to hire two policemen to protect the canvas? The objections to Olympia had more to do with the realism of the subject matter than the fact that the model was nude. Indeed, what shocked contemporary audiences was not Olympia’s nudity, nor the presence of her fully clothed maid, but her confrontational gaze. She stares out from the canvas at us, confronting us with an unwavering glance. This in itself was a cause for outrage because this woman dares to stare out, meeting the eye. It was scandalous for a woman in general, let alone a courtesan, to be so brazen as to stare directly at anyone. Moreover, many of the details of the picture identify her as a demi-mondaine or prostitute. These include the flower in her hair, her bracelet, pearl earrings and the oriental shawl on which she lies, symbols of wealth and sensuality. The black ribbon around her neck, in stark contrast with her pale flesh, and her cast-off slipper underline the voluptuous atmosphere. In the painting, the maid offers the courtesan a bouquet of flowers, presumably a gift from a client. She looks almost bored at the prospect of another gift, suggesting that this is not a first time occurrence or something to be overly excited about. Moreover, "Olympia" was a name associated with prostitutes in 1860s Paris. Although middle and upper-class men did frequent courtesans they did not want to be confronted with one in an art gallery. Viewers weren’t sure of Manet’s motives. Was he trying to produce a serious work of art? Was Olympia an attempt to parody other paintings? Or, worst of all, was he mocking them? In Seward Johnson’s treatment, Olympia’s room – which Manet leaves essentially to the viewer’s imagination – is depicted as a lush, upper middle class drawing room of the Second Empire. Moreover, by allowing the viewer into the frame, the sculptor invites us to focus on each of the characters depicted in the original painting: Olympia, her servant and the cat, which is arching its back and seems to be hissing at the viewer). The meaning of the painting seems to change depending on which subject is in the focal point. In my last photo of the series, I peeked from over her shoulder to look at what Olympia herself might have been seeing.

"Confrontational Vulnerability" is a monumental painted styrofoam group, cast by Seward Johnson in 2011. It was inspired by Édouard Manet’s 1863 masterpiece, Olympia, first exhibited at the 1865 Paris Salon, which shows a nude woman ("Olympia") reclining on a bed, being brought flowers by a black servant. Also on the bed is a black cat, arching its back and seeming to hiss defensively at the viewer. Olympia was modeled by Victorine Meurent (who was to become an accomplished painter in her own right). The French government acquired the painting in 1890 after a public subscription organized by Claude Monet. The painting is now on display at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Why were visitors to the Paris gallery, already quite familiar with art featuring the naked body, so outraged by the painting that the gallery was forced to hire two policemen to protect the canvas? The objections to Olympia had more to do with the realism of the subject matter than the fact that the model was nude. Indeed, what shocked contemporary audiences was not Olympia’s nudity, nor the presence of her fully clothed maid, but her confrontational gaze. She stares out from the canvas at us, confronting us with an unwavering glance. This in itself was a cause for outrage because this woman dares to stare out, meeting the eye. It was scandalous for a woman in general, let alone a courtesan, to be so brazen as to stare directly at anyone. Moreover, many of the details of the picture identify her as a demi-mondaine or prostitute. These include the flower in her hair, her bracelet, pearl earrings and the oriental shawl on which she lies, symbols of wealth and sensuality. The black ribbon around her neck, in stark contrast with her pale flesh, and her cast-off slipper underline the voluptuous atmosphere. In the painting, the maid offers the courtesan a bouquet of flowers, presumably a gift from a client. She looks almost bored at the prospect of another gift, suggesting that this is not a first time occurrence or something to be overly excited about. Moreover, "Olympia" was a name associated with prostitutes in 1860s Paris. Although middle and upper-class men did frequent courtesans they did not want to be confronted with one in an art gallery. Viewers weren’t sure of Manet’s motives. Was he trying to produce a serious work of art? Was Olympia an attempt to parody other paintings? Or, worst of all, was he mocking them? In Seward Johnson’s treatment, Olympia’s room – which Manet leaves essentially to the viewer’s imagination – is depicted as a lush, upper middle class drawing room of the Second Empire. Moreover, by allowing the viewer into the frame, the sculptor invites us to focus on each of the characters depicted in the original painting: Olympia, her servant and the cat, which is arching its back and seems to be hissing at the viewer). The meaning of the painting seems to change depending on which subject is in the focal point. In my last photo of the series, I peeked from over her shoulder to look at what Olympia herself might have been seeing.

Grounds For Sculpture is a 42-acre sculpture park and museum located on the former site of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds in Hamilton Township. The grounds, which feature over 270 large scale contemporary sculptures, were founded in 1992 by John Seward Johnson II – known to all as "Seward." He desired to make contemporary sculpture accessible to people from all backgrounds. Seward is a wealthy heir to the immense medical products fortune of Johnson & Johnson, founded by his grandfather. Seward not only produces art, but also generously supports cultural projects. Both his sculpture and his philanthropy were overshadowed for a time in the 1980’s, however, when he was entangled in one of the most notorious legal inheritance battles in America: Mr. Johnson and his five siblings challenged the will of J. Seward Johnson Sr., their father who had disinherited them. Their lawsuit was successful. Seward has been making sculptures since the early 1970’s. Some of his work copies the iconic works of fine artists with international reputations – especially the work of the 19th century Impressionists. These sculptures invite the viewer to enter the frame of well-known paintings by bringing the details of characters and scenes off the canvas and into our three dimensional world. The life-scale figures are rendered explicitly true to the paintings since Johnson has painted the bronze faces just as an oil painter creates skin tones in a portrait; assiduously and instinctively blending layers of unrelated colors which come together to create shadow, volume and form. The statues are arranged in a montage that enables literally to enter the frame – to experience the illusion of reality, to step directly into a world that he or she has only seen but not experienced with his or her full senses. Some critics dismiss Seward’s work as kitsch. I, for one, think his work to be great fun. I was fortunate enough to visit the Grounds for Sculpture in time to see an show of over 150 of Seward’s works depicting his 50-year career. The retrospective exhibition was scheduled to run from May 4 to September 21, 2014 but due to overwhelming popularity, it was extended through July 2015. A Reason to Smile, a life-scale bronze and aluminum sculptural tableau, was cast by Seward Johnson in 2004. Johnson chose to transform the experience, in total, of viewing Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. By creating a backdrop, a front wall, two French guards and a frame, he plays with the elements of the third dimension, allowing visitors to enter the picture frame and pose, side by side with the subject of the painting.

Grounds For Sculpture is a 42-acre sculpture park and museum located on the former site of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds in Hamilton Township. The grounds, which feature over 270 large scale contemporary sculptures, were founded in 1992 by John Seward Johnson II – known to all as "Seward." He desired to make contemporary sculpture accessible to people from all backgrounds. Seward is a wealthy heir to the immense medical products fortune of Johnson & Johnson, founded by his grandfather. Seward not only produces art, but also generously supports cultural projects. Both his sculpture and his philanthropy were overshadowed for a time in the 1980’s, however, when he was entangled in one of the most notorious legal inheritance battles in America: Mr. Johnson and his five siblings challenged the will of J. Seward Johnson Sr., their father who had disinherited them. Their lawsuit was successful. Seward has been making sculptures since the early 1970’s. Some of his work copies the iconic works of fine artists with international reputations – especially the work of the 19th century Impressionists. These sculptures invite the viewer to enter the frame of well-known paintings by bringing the details of characters and scenes off the canvas and into our three dimensional world. The life-scale figures are rendered explicitly true to the paintings since Johnson has painted the bronze faces just as an oil painter creates skin tones in a portrait; assiduously and instinctively blending layers of unrelated colors which come together to create shadow, volume and form. The statues are arranged in a montage that enables literally to enter the frame – to experience the illusion of reality, to step directly into a world that he or she has only seen but not experienced with his or her full senses. Some critics dismiss Seward’s work as kitsch. I, for one, think his work to be great fun. I was fortunate enough to visit the Grounds for Sculpture in time to see an show of over 150 of Seward’s works depicting his 50-year career. The retrospective exhibition was scheduled to run from May 4 to September 21, 2014 but due to overwhelming popularity, it was extended through July 2015. A Reason to Smile, a life-scale bronze and aluminum sculptural tableau, was cast by Seward Johnson in 2004. Johnson chose to transform the experience, in total, of viewing Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. By creating a backdrop, a front wall, two French guards and a frame, he plays with the elements of the third dimension, allowing visitors to enter the picture frame and pose, side by side with the subject of the painting.

Grounds For Sculpture is a 42-acre sculpture park and museum located on the former site of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds in Hamilton Township. The grounds, which feature over 270 large scale contemporary sculptures, were founded in 1992 by John Seward Johnson II – known to all as "Seward." He desired to make contemporary sculpture accessible to people from all backgrounds. Seward is a wealthy heir to the immense medical products fortune of Johnson & Johnson, founded by his grandfather. Seward not only produces art, but also generously supports cultural projects. Both his sculpture and his philanthropy were overshadowed for a time in the 1980’s, however, when he was entangled in one of the most notorious legal inheritance battles in America: Mr. Johnson and his five siblings challenged the will of J. Seward Johnson Sr., their father who had disinherited them. Their lawsuit was successful. Seward has been making sculptures since the early 1970’s. Some of his work copies the iconic works of fine artists with international reputations – especially the work of the 19th century Impressionists. These sculptures invite the viewer to enter the frame of well-known paintings by bringing the details of characters and scenes off the canvas and into our three dimensional world. The life-scale figures are rendered explicitly true to the paintings since Johnson has painted the bronze faces just as an oil painter creates skin tones in a portrait; assiduously and instinctively blending layers of unrelated colors which come together to create shadow, volume and form. The statues are arranged in a montage that enables literally to enter the frame – to experience the illusion of reality, to step directly into a world that he or she has only seen but not experienced with his or her full senses. Some critics dismiss Seward’s work as kitsch. I, for one, think his work to be great fun. I was fortunate enough to visit the Grounds for Sculpture in time to see an show of over 150 of Seward’s works depicting his 50-year career. The retrospective exhibition was scheduled to run from May 4 to September 21, 2014 but due to overwhelming popularity, it was extended through July 2015. A Reason to Smile, a life-scale bronze and aluminum sculptural tableau, was cast by Seward Johnson in 2004. Johnson chose to transform the experience, in total, of viewing Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. By creating a backdrop, a front wall, two French guards and a frame, he plays with the elements of the third dimension, allowing visitors to enter the picture frame and pose, side by side with the subject of the painting.