"Untitled 2007" by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan -What do you think of this art?

This art is one of the most emailed photos on the web. What do you think?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dorothy McDonall on June 5, 2009 at 8:42am

I'm wondering what the artist's point was in "creating" this. What was the thought process and why did it matter enough to him/her to bring it to life? I'm not horrified by it, but it is disturbing, although some might say it is creative use of a dead horse. To each his/her own. I wouldn't pay money to see it in person.

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Permalink Reply by Nyree on June 5, 2009 at 8:53am

omg that is soo scary looking!

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Permalink Reply by Gloria Picchetti on June 5, 2009 at 9:34am

I find it sadistic. It is very disturbing that it received enough attention to be sent around the net. What kind of world do we live in where people find entertainment from a horse with it's head buried? Perhaps I should lighten up or I have no appreciation of art? I went to the new modern art wing of the Chicago Art Institute when it opened a few weeks ago so I must like art. At the very best if I look with an open mind the artist is saying, "Some people are such idiots that animals hide from them in plain site but they (the people) don't notice that the animals are about to poop on them."

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Permalink Reply by Shawna Lynn Ballard on June 7, 2009 at 9:31pm

Ah, but having an appreciation for modern art certainly does not mean that you must appreciate every piece you see! It is perfectly acceptable to lavish praise on one piece and then snub the next, if you are so moved. Being "discerning" is truly a mark of the true connoisseur. It's also perfectly alright to say you don't understand a piece. Not every modern artist is brilliant and not every work displayed in a gallery is a masterpiece. Sometimes, even a genuinely brilliant artist will fail to communicate his or her ideas in a particular piece, at which point it is alright to simply scratch your head at it and move on to the next one.

Yes, I too find this to be sadistic. Disturbing. This is a very strong statement, but I'm not sure what the artist intends to say. Some galleries will have a little plaque near the piece that helps clue us in on the artist's intent. It would be helpful if we could have access to that information, too. In the context of this photo, I really don't care to look at this piece long enough to understand what the artist is trying to say. It's the way the front feet are dangling from the forelegs. It's an unnatural position that clearly indicates the tendons have been severed. It just makes me think "severe injury" and I want to run screaming toward the nearest vet! I wonder if I would form a different opinion if I were there in real life.

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Permalink Reply by Renee on June 5, 2009 at 9:44am

It is horrible!!!

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Permalink Reply by Gary Stuart on June 5, 2009 at 10:00am

Actually, I see this a bit differently.

It appears that there is a hole in the wall that the horse has jumped up to look through and will quickly pull his had back as he falls. Obviously, no human being could have done this, once again showing what special animals horses are.

Puissance at its finest!!!

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Permalink Reply by Sue Roebuck on June 5, 2009 at 10:17am

I don't know what to think. I think its too high up to appreciate it unless you are standing where the photographer was. I have seen human bodies on display in more grotesque and disturbing poses and the things that "artist" did to those bodies still bothers me, even after a few years (it was a show in Toronto but I forget the name of it). I can't see what the artist was trying to state, perhaps it was something unusual just to get people to ask "why?" I thought only ostriches hid their heads in the ground. I like the idea that maybe he is looking through a hole in the wall into another world.

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Permalink Reply by Bronwyn on June 5, 2009 at 4:52pm

Hey, The show in Toronto that you are talking about is I *believe* called Bodyworks. Where you can look at the muscles and stuff of the bodies? Personally I thought that that was cool, but maybe that is just becuase I like science. Although some of it I agree was quite disturbing, and some was gross (like the smokers lungs and stuff).

However, I do not think that THIS photo is art. I sure hope that it is photoshopped, because I would hate to think of a horses remains being used like this. I dont even find it that creative. Like "Oh wow...I stuck a body on the wall...look at me I'm an artist." Really?? Not impressed at all.

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Permalink Reply by Shawna Lynn Ballard on June 7, 2009 at 9:39pm

I really don't think this is photoshopped. I thought that at first, too, but then I noticed the way the front feet are dangling from the forelegs. It's an unnatural position that indicates the tendons have been severed or removed, as would be the case in taxadermy.