Journal #4 Kayla Rodriguez

Claes Oldenburg was born in 1929 in Stockholm, and moved to the United States with his family when he was still a young boy. He attended Yale University as well as the Art Institute of Chicago. When he was all done with his schooling he moved to New York City where he met various artists whose “theatrically based art posed an alternative to the prevailing influence of Abstract Expressionist painting.”
Claes Oldenburg later met write Coosje van Bruggen and together they created many large-scale projects outdoors all around the United States and Europe. This is one example of a piece they developed together outside of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, it is called “Giant Soft Shuttlecock,” and it was made in 1994.
In the majority, if not all, of Claes Oldenburg’s work both male and female forms are expressed, along with eros, death, power, and desire themes. An example of another piece Oldenburg created expressing these themes was that of the Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar tracks made in 1979. This piece clearly expresses man and woman, desire and death, and so much more.
Claes Oldenburg’s works ranged from abstract human beings to the most common things. He didn’t really limit himself to any particular, and that is what makes him so interesting to me.



http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/show-full/bio/?artist_name=Claes%20Oldenburg

http://artnetweb.com/oldenburg/scale.html

http://artnetweb.com/oldenburg/bio.html