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Sacred Heart (Red/Gold)
Jeff Koons (1955– ) has been quoted as saying, “When somebody sees my work, the only thing that they see is the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” By calling on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, he has definitely raised the stakes on how his art is to be perceived. He deemed his Puppy sculpture, a two-storey high, 44-ton topiary terrier, “a contemporary Sacred Heart of Jesus." Like the Sacred Heart of Jesus, this gargantuan sculpture is eager to be loved, but does it have the pure intent of the Sacred Heart? Critics have accused Koons of pandering to big-moneyed collectors who are able to spend mega-millions for one of his chrome-plated balloon-animal sculptures or paintings of Popeye juxtaposed with photorealistically rendered bizarre inflatable toys, found objects, and nude women, fabricated by a legion of studio assistants. Legend has it that Vincent Van Gogh (1853–1890), who worked solo, sold only one painting during his lifetime, and that to his brother. Collectors and museums wait in line to buy the next Koons piece. Does that make Van Gogh a purer artist than Koons? Strange iconic images keep bubbling out of Koons’ head. There doesn’t seem to be a filter between what he imagines and what he makes as art. There is purity in that. Maybe one way to assess of Koons’ art isn’t whether his work is over commercialized or how it stacks up against Van Gogh’s, or any other artist’s work, but simply to what degree does it or not convey the purity and power of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
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