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  • Essay / A general overview of the work of Jeff Koons Puppy and artists

    Analysis of Puppy Artist Jeff Koons was inspired by the visual language of advertising, marketing and the entertainment industry with the aim of “ communicate with the masses. Koons tested the boundaries between popular and elite culture, creating the 43-foot-tall West Highland Terrier, Puppy. Koons used computer modeling to construct his extraordinary version of topiary sculptures common in 18th-century French gardens. Puppy was created from a series of stainless steel frames constructed to hold over 25 tonnes of soil watered by an internal irrigation system. Unlike many works of art, Puppy was not permanent and was installed in different locations around the world, including Australia, Germany and the United States. As of today, Puppy is permanently installed in Spain. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The puppy is made up of different flowers, and new flowers were planted each time the sculpture was reinstalled in a new location. Koon's choice to use flowers in his sculpture was a conscious decision and ultimately constitutes its meaning. The material an artist uses has a lasting effect on art, from the creative process to the impact it has on the viewer. The viewer's interpretation is personal, but the material contributes greatly to the meaning proposed by the artist. Specifically, for Koons' work, Puppy is made of flowers to spread optimism, confidence and security with the vibrancy and happiness it brings. Koon combined the most sentimental visual images and symbols – flowers and puppies – to evoke a specific emotion in his viewers. He combined elite topiary and dog breeding credentials from his earlier work, with chia pets and iconic greeting cards used in today's popular culture. If this sculpture were made in bronze, marble or steel, its meaning would completely change. Puppy was created in order to communicate with mass culture, displaying a cute, familiar dog face while adding dynamism and happiness. Flowers give Puppy a pleasant aura and a relaxing, secure presence. The flowers also give the sculpture a living element, much like a real dog, which needs care and attention to stay alive. Materials like bronze, marble or steel are not as warm or comforting as flowers, and the message Koons created would not come across. If Puppy were made from one of these materials, it could still bring happiness as viewers make a connection that it is still a dog, focusing on the cute face bringing the security. Much like Puppy and most works of art, the meaning of Roxy Paine's Conjoined (Getlein 248) depends on the materials used to create it. Paine's artwork combines the organic and the manufactured, questioning our position between the man-made world we control and the natural world we do not. Paine created a 40-foot-tall sculpture of two Siamese trees, whose branches connect in mid-air. The sculpture is made of stainless steel and concrete, symbolizing what humans can control through manufacturing and what we cannot control through nature. If the materials of this work were to change, the meaning would change too. For example, if the sculpture was created from real tree bark or flowers like.