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December 22, 2006

Getting Head in Clinton Hill

We've noticed this sculpture on the Pratt campus a million times walking down Hall Street but never took the time to find out more about it. Turns out it's the work of the reknowned portrait sculptor and Yale prof Philip Grausman. Here's what the plaque says about the piece (while spelling the artist's first name wrong!):

In a [sic] effort to universalize and idealize the female head, Grausman has chosen a technique of skillfully modeling these overscale heads with an impersonality that reaches back to the ideals of Greek sculpture. (However they all start with actual models)[sic] Becuase of scale, head becomes body, the pure white of the fiberglass has the glow of pure marble. They command, they invite, they have a lively presence.

Do readers have any other favorites in the Pratt sculpture garden?

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Comments

looks like a big penis

Posted by: Anonymous at December 22, 2006 11:15 AM

Yes, but a calm one...

Posted by: lostinbrooklyn at December 22, 2006 11:26 AM

uhhhh it's an undeniable dick-"head"

Posted by: Anonymous at December 22, 2006 1:11 PM

Yeah, well, moving on . . . I've always loved that big shovel circle on the side of one of the brick buildings.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 22, 2006 1:19 PM

I am a grad of Pratt, and have fond memories of the sculpture garden, or 'Pratt Beach' as we called it. There is a coolio sculpture near the ARC by Serra that is striking. Also, I have always considered the decapitated original entrance to the library that was moved to the ARC a sculptural fave...

Posted by: jim mcauliffe at December 22, 2006 1:54 PM

There used to be a huge sofa made of old tires that my daughter called The Big Uncomfy Couch, after an old kids' tv show (Big Comfy Couch). But I don't think it's there anymore.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 22, 2006 2:19 PM

Me no likie....

Posted by: Anonymous at December 22, 2006 2:35 PM

I've always assumed this head represented a man. This sculpture and the related one that isn't in the photo are surprisingly interesting to see on a daily basis. They reflect what's going on in nature well: covered in wet leaves, surrounded by white snow, bright white in the sun, smeared with mud, etc. Every plaque on the Pratt campus seems to have a typo.

Posted by: Terra at December 22, 2006 4:07 PM

FINALLY! Can we talk? Why do they ALL look like sex toys?? have you seen those big iron ones near willoughby???

Posted by: anon at December 22, 2006 5:06 PM

Back when I was attending Pratt we didn't have a sculpture garden.
They could barely keep the building in repair, let alone toss money at dumb looking modern sculpture. I even suspect that the maintenance man for the Pratt Steam generators was secretly using all the Pratt cats to run little treadmills to supplement the power for the campus.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 22, 2006 6:38 PM

i was gunna say also : that it looks like a big talking penis .... the man is a genius...... !!!

yah ..... calling dr freud ..

Posted by: Anonymous at December 24, 2006 12:31 PM

Zzzzzzzzz oh how flipping amazing ..yet another GIANT penis for all to enjoy .

Posted by: Anonymous at December 24, 2006 1:35 PM

the bust depicted at the head of this thread is uncharactericstically elegant for that park; otherwise it's full of conceptual crap that, being poorly built by amateurs, is falling apart.

i'm all for freedom of expression, so i can't say that what's going on in there is outright wrong, but i think the public space on the Pratt quad would be greatly improved by removing the majority of the work out there.

(i'm speaking as former faculty at Pratt)

Posted by: anon at December 24, 2006 2:44 PM

It's a nice escape from the ordinary cityscape, great that it's open to the public too. And Pratt claims is the city's largest sculpture garden. Why complain?

Posted by: Anonymous at December 24, 2006 6:57 PM

From what I understand, the sculptures are on loan to Pratt, which I think is great. Not too crazy about many of the pieces, but support the spirit and wish there was more of an effort to integrate art & design into our lives.

Posted by: Anonymous on Greene at December 25, 2006 11:10 AM

it's ugly. i guess that makes me simple. a giant fiberglass head...oooh.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 26, 2006 12:04 PM

i think there are two heads in the sculpture park (or maybe im wrong)--but in the garden they work very well together & with the space. very much different from how it appears in the picture above.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 27, 2006 12:44 AM

My favorite Pratt sculpture is the rat with the giant testicles. I think it's called Rat Resting On His Laurels.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 27, 2006 4:09 PM