4 ms·

Hmm... surely, the Hollywood sign would win any contest of "L.A.'s most derided piece of public art"?

by drcode 8y ago

simias 8y ago
>to deride: to speak of or treat with contempt, mockery, or ridicule; scoff or jeer at Is the Hollywood sign really the target of that much mockery? Caricature surely but that's not the same thing.
- duskwuff 8y ago
  It's easily the best-known piece of public art in the city, so there's naturally going to be more mockery of it than other, lesser-known pieces.
- mortenjorck 8y ago
  The Hollywood sign wasn’t always considered an icon. For many years between its initial construction in the 1920s and its restoration in the 1970s, it was poorly maintained and considered an eyesore: https://theconversation.com/the-history-of-the-hollywood-sign-from-public-nuisance-to-symbol-of-stardom-78584 https://theconversation.com/the-history-of-the-hollywood-sig...
psetq 8y ago
How so? I'd consider the Hollywood sign to be an iconic American landmark and haven't really heard much to the contrary.
- williamdclt 8y ago
  A lot of people do consider it an iconic American landmark, but don't necessarily see it as a good thing. In this particular case, for me the first things Hollywood sign evokes are "megalomania", "shitty blockbusters", "overinflated ego". I'm super biased (I don't even really know Hollywood history) and it doesn't necessarily make it the "most derided piece of art", but it wouldn't surprise me
  - daveFNbuck 8y ago
    It seems your criticism is about Hollywood's film industry rather than the sign as a piece of public art.
deleted 8y ago
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gamblor956 8y ago
It wouldn't even be in the top thousand for public art in LA, especially since it wasn't intended to be "public" or "art" when it was unveiled. (It was originally intended to be temporary signage for a housing development called "Hollywoodland" that failed. Some decades later, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce paid to restore part of the sign. A few decades after that, it was restored again and has been more or less maintained to that level ever since.) Top contender usually goes to the light sculptures at the entrance to LAX, or else to the frescoes adorning the sidewalls of the 110 and 10 freeways.

Hmm... surely, the Hollywood sign would win any contest of "L.A.'s most derided piece of public art"?

by drcode 8y ago

Hmm... surely, the Hollywood sign would win any contest of "L.A.'s most derided piece of public art"?

>to deride: to speak of or treat with contempt, mockery, or ridicule; scoff or jeer at Is the Hollywood sign really the target of that much mockery? Caricature surely but that's not the same thing.

duskwuff 8y ago
It's easily the best-known piece of public art in the city, so there's naturally going to be more mockery of it than other, lesser-known pieces.
mortenjorck 8y ago
The Hollywood sign wasn’t always considered an icon. For many years between its initial construction in the 1920s and its restoration in the 1970s, it was poorly maintained and considered an eyesore: https://theconversation.com/the-history-of-the-hollywood-sign-from-public-nuisance-to-symbol-of-stardom-78584 https://theconversation.com/the-history-of-the-hollywood-sig...

psetq 8y ago

How so? I'd consider the Hollywood sign to be an iconic American landmark and haven't really heard much to the contrary.

williamdclt 8y ago
A lot of people do consider it an iconic American landmark, but don't necessarily see it as a good thing. In this particular case, for me the first things Hollywood sign evokes are "megalomania", "shitty blockbusters", "overinflated ego". I'm super biased (I don't even really know Hollywood history) and it doesn't necessarily make it the "most derided piece of art", but it wouldn't surprise me
- daveFNbuck 8y ago
  It seems your criticism is about Hollywood's film industry rather than the sign as a piece of public art.

deleted 8y ago

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gamblor956 8y ago

It wouldn't even be in the top thousand for public art in LA, especially since it wasn't intended to be "public" or "art" when it was unveiled. (It was originally intended to be temporary signage for a housing development called "Hollywoodland" that failed. Some decades later, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce paid to restore part of the sign. A few decades after that, it was restored again and has been more or less maintained to that level ever since.) Top contender usually goes to the light sculptures at the entrance to LAX, or else to the frescoes adorning the sidewalls of the 110 and 10 freeways.