Landmark and large scale artist Christo dies at 84 on May 31st 2020.

To the critics Christo said “I am an artist, and I have to have courage …”

Christo and Jeanne-Claude were born on the same date June 13th, Christo in Gabrovo, Bulgaria (June 13, 1935), and Jeanne-Claude (his wife) in Morocco (June 13, 1935 – November 18, 2009).

They first met in Paris in October 1958. Their works were credited to just “Christo” until 1994, when the outdoor works and large indoor installations were retroactively credited to “Christo and Jeanne-Claude”.  Jeanne-Claude who passed away on November 18, 2009 said she became an artist out of love for Christo (if he’d been a dentist, she said she’d have become a dentist).

Their work, which has been controversial because of the large scale, has been examined for a deeper physiological meanings. “What does the artist feel”, “Do they have issues”, “Why are they wrapping so many things” and “their destroying the environment”… however, the purpose of their art they contend, is simply to create beauty and joy and new ways of seeing familiar landscapes. For the environmental issues they spend a lot of time in research and then materials to ensure their art pieces do not disrupt the environment.

To the critics Christo said “I am an artist, and I have to have courage … Do you know that I don’t have any artworks that exist? They all go away when they’re finished. Only the preparatory drawings, and collages are left, giving my works an almost legendary character. I think it takes much greater courage to create things to be gone than to create things that will remain.”

The projects “are absolutely irrational with no justification to exist. Nobody needs a running fence or surrounded islands. They are created because Jeanne-Claude and I have this unstoppable urge to create.”

The large-scale projects are 100% financed by the artists as well. They make money through the sale of preliminary drawings, studies, and models.

One of his last projects ‘The Floating Piers’ was a 16-day outdoor installation in Italy and it gave visitors the chance to ‘walk on water’.

I’m Not a Stranger to Christo’s Work

My first encounter with the art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude was when I lived in Southern California driving up the Grapevine and then out of nowhere was a forest of yellow umbrellas; random, in groups, standing in long curved lines in the dry landscape. Pops of yellow scattered like California poppies was beautiful in a peculiar way and left a lasting impression on me.

Contrasting the dry landscape with the lush, on the other side of the world in Ibaraki, Japan, 1,340 blue umbrellas also were opened against that region’s landscape, making the project international in scope.

The years-long project would come to be known as “The Umbrellas, Japan-USA 1984-1991.

The experience of the unexpected of Christo and Jeanne-Claude work leaves a lasting impression. And since then I’ve been a fan of his work.

Photos in this Blog are in conjunction with the copyright: http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/press

Photos:
Wolfgang Volz

Facts from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christo_and_Jeanne-Claude