What better way to follow an Easter post in which I proclaim my mystic beliefs then to lay down some lines in adoration of the female form, as seen on the campus of UCLA. I visited the university for the first time a couple weeks ago with a couple of my co-horts. We were on a mission to scope out art and the UCLA sculpture garden gave it up. 
What impressed me most was the vast variety of forms found throughout the area. By "forms" I don't mean just the female form, although there was a fantastic selection to see. I mean contemporary, modern, abstract, classic, coo-coo, weird, stunning, and everything in between.
There is a D. Butterfield horse (Pensive, 1996), a spinning steel number by George Rickey(Two Lines Oblique Down (Variation III) 1970-74), a bunch of Matisse's, the list goes on.
The real gems are found in the Rolfe Courtyard. 11 bronze beauties by Venice, CA sculpture, Robert Graham (the same dude who made the Roosevelt Memorial in DC). These forms - now I am talking about the female form - are part of a collection called, Study For Duke Ellington
Memorial. Dazzling, completely realistic, and NUDE these statues have been the subject of praise, outrage, controversy, vandalism, and admiration. I think they are beautiful. More than anything else, these figures portray WOMAN: Stoic, stable, powerful, alluring, sexy, lovely, worthy of complete respect.That UCLA would be bold enough display this collection makes me wonder if the powers-that-be at Fresno State would have the juevos to do the same. Fresno does have a sculpture garden of sorts. Their "PEACE GARDEN" is speckled with sculptures of peace activists: Gandhi, MLK, Chavez. But, there is nothing to match the Graham collection. In front of the Music building there is a sculpture of three topless dancing youths. A nice piece, but lacking in the level of emotion found in the Graham nudes. The valley is too conservative. They support the arts, but take no chances. Too bad.
I was so impressed I went back and scribbled a tribute.
And don't even get me started on the Gaston Lachaise sculture, Standing Woman, 1932! Good Lord! My goodness, she would tear me up!
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