Is this poor work for someone who is studying/has studied fine art? **title edited by MNHQ at OP's request**

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There is building works going on around Wolverhampton.

Massive changes to the local shopping centres with lots of closed down shops and noise.

There are attempts at brightening up the space with 'art'.

One shop space has been turned into a 'gallery' 'curated' by students/recent graduates from the local uni which isn't much more than decals and picture boards stuck to the walls.

There has been work done on murals in the wider open space with one taking one woman days to produce.

Days of climbing up and down a ladder surrounded by barriers, carefully painting a large mural with a huge blank space in rhe middle.

On and off, she has spent weeks working on this opus, painstakingly creating the city's motto against a backdrop of a hellish industrial backdrop.

Today I saw the finished, um, thing.

It turns out she's been working on panels elsewhere to stick on the blank bird/angel space in the middle of the mural.

Ladies and gentlemen!

Allow me to present Wolverhampton's one and only

FLAMING PISSED OFF TURKEY FROM HELL

Seriously?

WTAF?

To my eye, it honestly looks like a not particularly talented teenager had a go a scaling up a picture she saw in an art book.

Please tell me this wasn't paid for???

So it's by a 'student/recent graduate' of the uni? In other words, a young person, who possibly hasn't done anything on this scale before? And who has donated her time for free to do it?

It's a temporary installation to cover a blank space in the city, not a permanent work of public art. The university most likely footed the bill for the boards (or the student themselves), not the council. This is how these things work in my city, where similar use has been made of empty shops and hoardings.

FLAMING PISSED OFF TURKEY FROM HELL

YANBU. Thank you for the laugh.

If you do a piece of public art work then you need to be able to handle criticism. People aren't allowed to voice their opinions any more Jesus
For what it's worth OP I thought the wings were chicken nuggets from a distance

You're a bit of a twat really, aren't you OP.

Poor girl worked so hard on that. I doubt you are an amazing artist who could have done better. If you want to criticise then go right ahead. Where is your criticism? What are the flaws? What could the artist have done better? All I see is a spiteful rant saying it's shit and not up to your previous standards of snobbery. Helpfully posted on a public forum to upset her if she reads it. Grow up, would you, what if that was your daughter?

Personally I quite like it. Bright and optimistic. Could have done with a little shading or something to differentiate the wings from the body but she's a student and it's a good effort.

I quite like it stunning colours

Art in public places often divides opinion. The underlying good humour of Dubliners dubbing one of their large public statues 'the floozy in the jacuzzi' seems a kinder response - it doen't try to diminish the artist but also doesn't take modern art too seriously and is affectionate. People walking past the Phoenix painting will at least be enouraged to have a response - in contrast to walking past a row of boring blank panels. Some will appreciate it and some won't, fair enough. You don't actually have to like something to accept that having it present might be of value. I like the fact that it adds warmth and colour and uses the town's motto. Why not stick on your painting smock and create your own response to it OP - you know you want to!

Is the phoenix not real then ?

Birmingham, not Dublin, is the home of the floozy in the jacuzzi!

There is a BIG difference between high-cost, permanent public art (often squeezed out of developers by planners, without much thought as to what it really is 'for') and this kind of very temporary installation to brighten up the city for a short time while construction is ongoing. From what the OP has said, this is the equivalent of a painted hoarding.

It's really not relevant to compare what you tell your DC about their pictures to what the public should say to an artist about a public piece.. That's just entirely self explanatory.

As for 'bullying' I really think it completely belittles those who have been through actual bullying to say that criticism of a piece of publically displayed art is 'bullying'. It really just isn't. It's just the OP's opinion. She is frustrated at seeing a huge amount of effort going into the creation of something which to her appears amateur and badly designed/executed. Why they hell shouldn't she say so?

As it is produced by students I assume it hasn't been paid for (although plenty of money has been wasted elsewhere on this development) therefore it's not a huge consequence.

Of J M Turner:
"The apparent chaos that filled his last works was criticized for being considered the work of a lunatic man. It is said that even Queen Victoria refused to bestow a knighthood on him - an honour given to many less important painters- because she considered that Mister Turner was simply mad."
Of Whistler:
From the start, Whistler's Mother sparked varying reactions, including parody, ridicule, and reverence, which have continued to today. Some saw it as "the dignified feeling of old ladyhood", "a grave sentiment of mourning", or a "perfect symbol of motherhood", others employed it as a fitting vehicle for mockery.
I could find something like this for most famous artists. The fact is that if you put art out I public the public is entitled to criticise - goodness think of the mocking and ridicule Damien Hirst has been subject to. Op is being entirely reasonable .

I find it bizarre that people think the op shouldn't have an opinion. Post impressionists like Cezanne et al caused a whirlwind of criticism for straying from the orthodox.

IMO the POINT of art is to be talked about, be inspiring, make you think, feel etc.

And it is a bit shit. I agree, a race to the bottom.

The thing I don't like about the original post is the belittling of the amount of effort that has been put in. If you've seen someone slogging away at something, and you don't personally think the result is that great, surely pity and compassion rather than public mockery are the way forward?? Even if you are secretly a bit amused, be so quietly to your friends in private, rather than publicly.

This is a very, very public forum and it is highly likely that the woman who made the art will find and read this thread, even if it isn't picked up by lazy tabloid journos on a quiet news day.

Each to their own when it comes to art. You can see in the flaming feathers how much work went into the phoenix and the lettering above. It's meant to shock I think, being so bright and bold. Got you talking anyway! Wonder what the student will say about it in the local press?

Oh, and there's a MASSIVE difference between criticising an established artist's exhibition at the Royal Academy (the royal reaction to Turner) and mocking a student's work on a highly temporary installation!!

Yes, I was in a very bad mood when I first posted.

I apologise if I came across as some sort of misanthrope.

I live in a dump called All Saints which is a red light area, so it's not like I can get too sniffy about Fire Town.

I stand by the comment that the graffitti art there is better than this.

Yes, it's the city motto and, of course, I know it's meant to be a phoenix.

Google an image of 'phoenix' and aside from 'Hunger Games' references, there are many depictions of fiery, graceful, birds of prey.

This thing looks like it could squash someone flat, not rip flesh fròm its westruck victims.

Temporary or permanent, this is a dark, poorly proportioned work, with a lumpy, anatomically poor depictiòn of a beautiful, graceful and majestic mythical creature which should symbolise hope born of the ashes of destructiòn and despair.

Awestruck. I meant awestruck. New phone, sorry

I don't know who painted this either. Student, recent graduate or established artist.

There's no accreditation.

Could you get involved to raise the non-art issues with your LA? Maybe the town hall-ies don't realise the extent of the disruption and other problems?
The only problem I can see is that the artist has given herself the unenviable task of creating a head on view. It'll always look a bit odd as it doesn't line up wit the viewer's eye -level. I would have thought that a side on head ( like a heraldic motif) would have been more effective/easier, but I still like the implicit challenge in the motto and the eyes looking straight out.
And it isn't permanent.

wow,

Are you an art expert OP?

I think it looks good - fair play to the girl who put in hours of work to create it. I'm sure she is very proud of it!

I hope you are not as judgemental when you own children do things that are not up to your expert standard.

its ok...not sure how the thread constitutes bullying though?

For the love of God, this is creepy!
And VioletBam "type of bullying??"
The phrase 'this is shit' is WITH PERFECT ACCURACY describing the 'art' in this kind of "um, thing".
I really cannot understand people these days. "Everything is offensive; this is bullying" Like yea ok, we should go to jail for not liking this ''art'' and expressing humorously our opinion on it.

Ok it's not the Kelpies but maybe the brief said "glam rock chicken" in which case she's nailed it.

Don't see why the OP has to be nice. Why are we banging on about poor ickle teenager? I couldn't care less if my 5 year old DD was commissioned to do this, I'd still say what the actual fuck? It's 'art' to which were entitled an opinion. Much like I can't stand various artists and think their work is childish and simplistic, so I can have an opinion on this. Ick.

What is the reference being made in the motto? And is it really meant to be a Phoenix?! Seems a bit amateur for a public space, shame.

Of course 'this is shit' is a fine opinion to hold. It's also fine to say, if it wasn't then the post would be taken down surely.

I don't think it's funny or clever, though, and if it's OK to say a temporary painting that's really just there to cover up a blank or ugly space is shit, then it's fine to say that a post on an Internet forum is mean.

The op is written like it's trying to be funny. I don't think it's funny (evil turkey is watching you as the new town motto I did think was funny!) but I'm not angry with the op for not being very funny. I wouldn't say 'is that steaming pile of shit what you call a joke, op?' because that's bonkers. But I reserve the right to roll my eyes whenever some wit comes out with the ever original 'my 5 year old could do better'.

Eek. That's bloody awful.
OK, they weren't going to get David Hockney, but there surely are many better locally based artists than this.
There was a display in my local hospital of pictures done by illustration students in my local, smalltown ex-poly and I was gobsmacked at how amazing they all were. As are painted wooden panels hiding a major building works in town.
Well, it'll be temporary at least.