Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

A friend and I took a walk around the outdoor Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. It was … interesting.

I’m not a big fan of sculptures although I always find the Franconia Sculpture Park quite interesting but didn’t make it out there this year.

Still ~ it was a beautiful day for a walk and I learned something new about myself.  I “see” things differently than other people. You’ll read about my discovery below.

The first sculpture I found interesting was bronze and was called Woodrow. It looked quite frightening to me.

Woodrow, Deborah Butterfield
Woodrow, Deborah Butterfield

Here’s a closer look at the head of this sculpture. Yikes! I wouldn’t want to encounter this fella.

Woodrow, Deborah Butterfield
Woodrow, Deborah Butterfield

I don’t believe I could ever create anything like this because I couldn’t visualize it in my head, could you?

Up ahead I saw something a little softer on my eyes ~ a grove of trees. I felt centered again.

Woodrow, Deborah Butterfield
Grove of Trees

Here’s another interesting sculpture … hmmmm …

Goddess with the Golden Thighs, Reuben Naikian
Goddess with the Golden Thighs, Reuben Naikian

Quite frankly, I didn’t see a goddess nor golden thighs in this sculpture. I know, I know … it’s in the eye of the artist. Still …

This next sculpture was more recognizable to me. I must have a stunted sense of artistry as it appears I need art to be more clear cut for me to enjoy it.

Cavaliere (Horseman), Marino Marini
Cavaliere (Horseman), Marino Marini

The one below is called Dawn Tree. Hmmm ….

I didn’t feel bad in not appreciating some of these sculptures as my friend wasn’t overly enthused by them either and she had worked at an Art Museum for 25 years. Maybe friends who hang out together have similar taste more often than not. What do you think?

Dawn Tree, Louise Nevelson
Dawn Tree, Louise Nevelson

Don’t laugh at me now … yes, I know it’s a snowman, uh, actually it’s a snowwoman.

Front of Snowwoman, Gary Hume
Front of Snowwoman, Gary Hume

This next sculpture brought a giggle to my otherwise wondering mind … I’m not sure why. Somehow though, I could see a pore.

Ordovician Pore, Tony Cragg
Ordovician Pore, Tony Cragg

Now, the sculpture of the reclining mother and child I could “see” but it didn’t take much thought.

Reclining Mother and Child, Henry Moore
Reclining Mother and Child, Henry Moore

This next sculpture really made me wonder what goes on internally that makes us humans view things so differently.

Do you see what I see? I doubt it. When I looked at the sculpture below I said to my friend “Look, a bug relaxing on a recliner.” She looked at me strangely and said “It looks like a cherry on a spoon.”

Sure enough ~ the sculpture was called Spoonbridge and Cherry.

Spoonbridge and Cherry, Claes Oldenburg
Spoonbridge and Cherry, Claes Oldenburg

What’s interesting to me is that it actually looks like a cherry on a spoon yet, until it was explained to me, my mind saw a reclining bug with antennae.

How do we explain this visual conundrum?

There were more sculptures at the garden here, but these were the ones I found most interesting ~ today.

So, what do you think influences the way we “see” things? The environment? Our upbringing? Education? Exposure to art?

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