As Mayor Michael Bloomberg dropped the first carrot-colored curtain over New York City’s Central Park, Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s $21 million dollar “masterpiece” of more than one million square feet of fabric, 5,000 tons of steel, and 60 miles of vinyl pole put a lavish dab of inelegance into the already graceful Central Park.

While in New York, I paid a visit to “The Gates” to see exactly what all the fuss was about. The randomly arranged poles and curtains clashed with Central Park’s natural beauty. As I walked further and further, I expected to see some sort of change in design, at least an oddly bent pole or a different colored curtain.

However, the same uniform pattern continued, and I realized that this was all to be seen. For a moment I thought that maybe I was not concentrating enough, was not looking for the good in these mere orange poles and drapes, but even after trying to ward off all negative thoughts no appreciation emerged. In fact, I felt that the “artwork” in a sense blocked the real beauty of Central Park. “The Gates” seemed to impede the formerly beautiful view of lofty trees and the gleaming reflection of the sun on the river the park looks over.

I heard Jeanne-Claude quote, “We are not different from all the other artists. They create art. It is sold. The artist gets the money. With the money, the artist purchase whatever they please. We do exactly the same, only what pleases us is to purchase 5,000 tons of steel, 60 miles of vinyl poles."

Exactly why Christo and Jeanne-Claude are pleased with a $21 million dollar purchase of steel, vinyl poles, and orange fabric is yet to be discovered, especially when the multimillion-dollar development made a short 16-day unveiling.

Usually when one encounters art, it evokes certain emotions and reactions that are worthy of examination. Great art affects people in substantive ways, whether one is artistically inclined or not. “The Gates” positive effect appears to be that of transient joy caused by a display of color and excitement. Although these are worthy and important achievements, for me it underscored society’s inclination towards distraction. It was an advertisement for “come and see New York City” on a grand scale. More publicity and reflection without reflection, if you will, was given to “The Gates” before, during, and even after its debut than to countless other problems and issues, which seem much more deserving of our attention.

Throughout my encounters with art, one important thing I have learned is that there are many reasons to create art; to express one’s self, to speak out on a political or social issue, to convey the beauty or even ugliness one sees in something, or simply for reflection. Walking through the Guggenheim Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art during my stay in New York City, I stood before countless paintings, sculptures, and architectural designs witnessing all of those things. These artists, architects, and sculptors all had something that was beautiful, creative, and original in their minds, which they did their best to pour onto canvas, mold with clay, or blueprint with toothpicks.

None of these things do I see in “The Gates”, but what I do see is an attempt to try to put something beautiful on something that already was in every way; a graceful piece of nature that, for $21 million and a 16-day exhibition, had orange poles stuck into its soil and loud orange streamers zipping through the air, overshadowing the horizon. It is as though Christo and Jeanne-Claude, as they do in many other projects, tampered with another’s masterpiece entitled “The Scenery”. And as one stands gazing down Central Park’s shimmering river and gorgeous pathways, one wonders how perfection can be perfected.