Picto Diary - 14 August 2019 - Spiral Jetty

Above: Jupiter locomotive replica. Promentory Point, UT. 14 August 2019.

Replica of original Central Pacific Railroad, Jupiter locomotive which, coming from Sacramento, CA, reached this point 10 May 1869. Right at this spot Jupiter met its counterpart, Union Pacific 119, coming from the east, Omaha, NE. The golden Spike was hammered in and the transcontinental railway forged a new nation.

Second time here. Teared up as I looked at the scene, thinking of the the incredible accomplishment, sacrifice and vision of the whole enterprise. — at Golden Spike National Historic Site.

Above: The Pope at the Spiral Jetty. Great Salt Lake, Utah. 14 August 2019. Pope and F350 at Smithson "masterpiece...." spiral jetty into the Great Salt Lake.

Water is up a bit since I was last here 6 years ago.

The two of us walked out around the jetty (TIMDT soccer granny-ing). Three people out there now as this image is captured.

Eerie and lonely feeling out here. Alien from typical Utah outdoor experience.

Don't really get the "art," but, perhaps its value lies in appreciation in the broader context of the entire otherworldly setting.

Anyway, I enjoyed being here. — at Spiral Jetty.

Robert Smithson created the Spiral Jetty in April 1970. It is on more than one list of the top 25 artworks ever.... along, with The Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and others.

TIMDT and Mwah (sic) visited the DiaBeacon Museum on the Hudson in 2016. We saw a Smithson art piece which could be described as a pile of broken glass shards. I asked the besotted young docent if Smithson had actually created this pile of glass. "Oh no," she said. "A committee appointed by the Smithson foundation is permitted to replicate his art. This practice is commonly allowed by modern art museums where art pieces cannot be moved from location to location."

Smithson's work, is interesting for its outrageousness... its creative... but, in my opinion, its not art. El Greco's "El Expolio de Cristo" is art.

Above: El Expolio de Cristo by El Greco.