In 2002, the Department of Justice spent $8,000 on drapes to cover the partially nude state behind the podium where speakers address the nation. The female statue is a representation of the spirit of justice according to USA today news. ABC News reported that Ashcroft ordered the statues covered because he didn’t like being photographed in front of them. Yet others say that Ashcroft was not involved in the decision at all. Personally, I don’t understand why it is such a big deal, it is a partially naked statue. It’s a work of art, not a real person.
Damien Hirst, born June 7, 1965, was dubbed a “Young British Artist” or YBA. He is a world renowned artists, dominating the scene in Britain since the 90s. One of the central themes in all of Hirst’s paintings is death. In class we looked at Hirst’s “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living” which is a shark that is suspended in formaldehyde in a vitrine. This work of art is very interesting. Its sale in 2004 made him the second most expensive living artist in the world, only after Jasper Johns. Damien is also known for “spin paintings” and “spot paintings”. Spin paintings are done on a spinning circular surface, and spot paintings are composed of rows of differently colored cicrles.
