A couple of Herald letter writers have said the answer is not what appears on the retaining wall below the Golden Arches at the head of Wilson Gulch east of Durango. A row of methodically placed hand tools in dark gray – cast iron skillet, pitons, crescent wrenches, a plow – mostly against a background in yellow.
“The worst mural ever,” wrote one, suggesting having seen quite a few murals (Herald, Aug. 10).
Yes, it was defended by another writer, favoring history rather than art, as accurately depicting what was the area’s development history: mining – plus agriculture with the plow and the pitchfork (Herald, Aug. 15).
A petition to remove the mural was a suggestion by one of the critics.
Whatever the opinion, it’s a mural that’s very visible. For those westbound on U.S. Highway 160 it’s part of the stand-alone well lighted Marathon-McDonald’s (gas and food) pairing just to the north.
Can art be universally praised? Or faulted? The sculpture – Arc of History – that was at the DoubleTree intersection a decade ago was derided as a colorless collapsing worm (Herald, July 29, 2016). And its location was a distraction to navigating a high-traffic intersection. There may have been no praise for that work as we remember, other than from the artist.
What art does best is stimulate conversations. If it’s art that’s on the McDonald’s retaining wall.
