Yesterday’s Deccan Herald had carried a pictorial item under the column ‘World at a glance’ which interested me. It was about the Great Pyramids of Giza, near Cairo, Egypt. Since I had visited these Pyramids, I was naturally interested. The picture with caption which is self-explanatory is produced above.
I thought it is going to be a permanent sculpture to remain there. If so I was not impressed. The sculpture rather rhetorically called ‘Together’ (whatever its meaning, hidden or not) is by Italian sculptor Lorenzo Quinn, the son of my most favourite and loved actor of my college days Anthony Quinn (remember the film ‘Zorba The Greek’ and many classics?).
The sculpture could be a masterpiece and the moral or value it represents may be known only to God and its creator! Two open palms coming together. Must be huge, gigantic, installed at that Giza desert and the three Pyramids are seen through that sculpture in the picture.
Since I have visited these Pyramids and also the famous Sphinx close to it, including the Sound and Light Show, I have a canny feeling that this sculpture should not have been there. It is a foreign, external and modern construction of a sculpture in an area where for centuries stood these Pyramids facing and challenging the vagaries of nature. Imagine, we have seen mountains moving and destroyed or destabilised by havoc caused by the nature’s fury of rain, wind, volcano, earthquake and such. But these Pyramids have remained there, with some wear and tear so to say, over 4,591 years till now. Therefore, it is to be seen without any interference from other modern structures around, as if mocking at these most ancient surviving monuments.
Some modern men with power and creative genius behave like monkeys and interfere with their surroundings of great civilisational importance visited by millions of people every year. This is an unwanted interference and earlier undone good for these ancient monuments and iconic institutions.
Fortunately, it is a saving grace that it is there temporarily in an international art exhibition that began on Oct. 21, 2021 at the Great Pyramids of Giza and their surrounding plateau.
This reminds me of another cultural atrocity, nay vandalism in Paris. I am talking about the world famous museum of art and sculpture the Louvre Palace in Paris.
Here you have an ugly structure called Louvre Pyramid right in the main courtyard surrounded by three smaller Pyramids. It was made by glass and steel and stands out like a sore thumb refusing to blend with that grand imposing massive heritage Palace.
Of course, man needs a justification for every crime he commits. Here the justification was that this Pyramid and its underground lobby beneath were created as imperative due to inadequate space at the entrance with the management unable to handle the tourist traffic — the visitors. Now the throngs of visitors are smoothly regulated before they are allowed to ascend into the main Louvre building. I personally felt, after looking at it, that instead of this monstrosity the authorities could have had a structure over the same space that would blend harmoniously and aesthetically with the main Palace building without disturbing the basic heritage character of the Louvre Palace.
It is said war is a very serious matter to be left entirely in the hands of Generals. Similarly, the issues (or problems) relating to managing these ancient monuments or iconic institutions like Louvre Palace should not be left entirely in the hands of the Government and the architect. Having said this let me recall a minor episode of this kind that happened in our city many years ago.
Charles Correa was a reputed architect of our country decorated with Padma Vibhushan. This speaks about his name, fame and recognition, as ‘India’s Greatest Architect.’ The influence of his work on modern urban Indian architecture was immense.
He was asked to design an annexe to the iconic heritage building on Lalitha Mahal Palace road where ATI is housed. The buildings here are all with tiled roof and of only ground floor. Here he ensured that his new design blended with the existing heritage buildings and everybody admired his genius.
So pleased the authorities were, they asked him to design the main gate for the Exhibition Grounds at Doddakere Maidan right opposite the Eastern Gate of the imposing Mysore Palace.
Soon the gate appeared with a matter-of-fact brick and mortar structure sans any ornate design with two-stepped wings on either side. So ordinary looking in front of the imposing Palace main gate, many aesthetes protested. Star of Mysore too wrote strongly about it. And some asked: Do you know the stature of the architect?
Be that as it may, as I remember, it was Veerappa Moily, the then Chief Minister, who took the call and got a new arch gate made that we see today.
What can the people do in such situations? After all, it is the attitude of some to believe they know the best and they are always right. My way or no way. EGO is the first cousin of a man of political power and creative genius. Amen.
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I am amazed how Mr Ganapathy manages to get things wrong, very often, be it a political discourse, or about the BVB or in this case the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Living in Europe, I have been visiting this Museum, even before the glass pyramid entrance was built. The Louvre building entry was then very difficult, with the queue of visitors spilling into the area beside the building , and drenched and suffered in rain with no shelter near.
This new entrance with the glass pyramid atop, is more visitor friendly, provides shelters to visitors in the inclement cold and rainy weather conditions, and in no way diminishes the grandeur of the Museum with its priceless exhibits.
I am of the firm opinion that governments must manage the museums which have art treasures, and rightly the French government has done an excellent work here, not leaving the care of the Museum in the profit-motivated private sector.
In Europe, care and services related to culture and health are rightly under the government control. In the case of the latter, the health, the plethora of privately run hospitals and clinics in Mysuru for example fleece patients , leaving then in poverty and in no better condition in terms of health before entry to these money-grabbing edifices. As for those who argue about the US and its private sector, which attracts Indians, the inequality between the very rich and very poor is massive-the latter live in poverty in a rich country like the US. This situation is very well emulated in India.
I too am amazed about the shallowness of arguments that a seasoned journalist like Mr Ganapathy makes.
For example, all national museums, Louvre is one in France, and Smithsonian cluster in the US are owned by the governments. In the case of the Louvre, the French government runs it as part of the cultural ministry, subsidising the entry fee. Otherwise, if it is run privately, the 15 Euro entry price ( about Rs 1400) would be trebled easily. In the US, the approach is different,, as the US government gives massive grants to run these museums, in effect it is government run. Companies like Boeing and most private universities like Harvard and MIT receive massive government grants, making them strictly not private. This is the reason president Biden wants $3trillion budget support from the Congress there. One should ask why , in the private sector citadel like the US, this massive government budget is needed. The answer is clear: giving out large government grants, thereby controlling the running of museums, universities and even large companies.
The US government facilitates like Microsoft, Google and Facebook to get tax exemptions in the name of research and development, in effect, these companies do not pay much tax: not strictly the characteristics of the term: ”private’
Air India under Tata received massive government support, and hence, it was easy to take it over. Now, even under Tata ownership, the airline expects large government support. Tata run steel companies and automobile companies in England, and receive massive government support. Hence these companies are not strictly private.
China has become an economic and military superpower, threatening the supremacy of US in these 2 areas.
China did achieved this status through its unelected leadership ethos of the government’s directed command economy. There even small enterprises supposedly private have massive injection of government’s money and hence control. Just look at their shining high tech hubs and high tech corridors, all controlled by the government. Apple’s rise as a giant delivery high quality iPhones and laptops, has been attributed to this status of China.
China today, develops its own stealth jet fighters, and Imported Rafale jets in India are no match for them. China has successfully tested a hypersonic globe circling missile, the like of which is not yet developed by the US.
China has showed what a government controlled command economy can achieve.
Most people living in democracy and looking at the private sector may not like this approach, but they have to grudgingly accept what a government control can achieve.
Correction:” China did achieve….”
Finally, I found a common ground with Mr. Ganapathy. I 100% agree with the pyramid-related opinion. And maybe agree 70% with Louvre. It indeed sticks out like a sore thumb in Paris. But the argument on designing things to blend with the surrounding structures is something I dont always agree. Such a constraint could kill the art and creativity. And in many cases it will be interpreted as something to ‘look’ like the surrounding structures. What we now consider as the greatest pieces of art are all those which breached the boundaries of respective artforms and opened up the minds of people. So a true artist will always try the unpaved roads and push the known boundaries. If one is constrained against doing so, the end result could look like a piece of ‘art’ designed by an artificial intelligence.