The heads come upon you quite suddenly or are you coming upon the heads? Chicago is always good for a surprise, a shock to the central nervous system. I think, the girls are laying in wait for us, quietly, and with a gentle smile on their lips. And they are girls, sculpted from laser images of real girls, even though their creator calls them women. These cast iron and resin sculptures were conceived by the Catalan artist Plensa, who ten years ago installed the famous Crown Fountain in Millennium Park. The heads are considered a continuum to his original portrait series in the fountain.

The sculptor said he likes to capture the ephemeral beauty, as well as the possessive power of girls, just as they are becoming women; the Youthful Beauty of girls on the cusp of Blooming into Womanhood, a familiar subject for artists. Quote from an article by Sugar Rautbord. Another quote from an article by Christopher Borrelli explains: … Since Crown Fountain, Plensa has only made portraits of women, he said: “I have come to think that the future is female. Men are simple.” He has scanned about 28 female heads, all roughly 8 or 9 years old. End quote. Sounds creepy to me, but that’s just my take on a middle-aged male’s obsession with little girls.

So let’s hide the girls in the shadows and move on.