Oldenburg, Lipstick (Ascending) On Caterpillar Tracks, 1969 In 1969, the Vietnam War was going on; most of the protests took place at college campuses by college students  Delivered this sculpture, unsolicited, to the office of the resident of Yale; act of guerrilla art; needless to say, this was taken away, but was rebuilt. In the second version, the lipstick was inflatable.  Caterpillar tracks from a tank, and instead of a gun, there is a tube of lipstick; juxtaposition alludes to  Lipstick is an item that is considered a very feminine object, but is put in a very phallic context on top of the tank; a humorous way to criticize the war

Oldenburg, Lipstick (Ascending) On Caterpillar Tracks, 1969

  • In 1969, the Vietnam War was going on; most of the protests took place at college campuses by college students 
  • Delivered this sculpture, unsolicited, to the office of the resident of Yale; act of guerrilla art; needless to say, this was taken away, but was rebuilt. In the second version, the lipstick was inflatable. 
  • Caterpillar tracks from a tank, and instead of a gun, there is a tube of lipstick; juxtaposition alludes to 
  • Lipstick is an item that is considered a very feminine object, but is put in a very phallic context on top of the tank; a humorous way to criticize the war
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artwhat.

during my first ever survey of western art class, my professor explained the difference between historians and art historians. historians, she said, were interested in old things. art historians, on the other hand, were interested in old things of quality. you don't hang garbage up on the walls of a museum; it has to be substantial and it has to mean something. so here you go; old things, made mostly by dudes long dead, of debatable degrees of quality but always with a constant level of importance. think of this as a deck of flash cards... sans the whole cards part.

Hobo theme by Mike Ballan with minor edits by Jess