I am perplexed by Peter Kendall’s Sept. 28 article concerning the Wyland Whaling Wall, painted on the east side of the Hotel Inter-Continental Chicago (“Save the Walls,” Perspective).
While I agree society must look to protect all endangered species, not just “the beautiful, the fuzzy and the doe-eyed,” the fact is that Wyland, one of the world’s leading environmental and marine artists, paints whales, not snakes, cranes or bugs. Suggesting that he had done otherwise is akin to asking Andy Warhol for impressionism or Norman Rockwell for surrealism–it’s simply not what they do.
The statement “we don’t need the whales” is surprising and disappointing coming from Mr. Kendall. There is nothing “cliche” or “worn-out” about Wyland’s message. I would think that the Tribune’s “environment writer” would be a bit more appreciative of such a large and beautiful piece of public art donated by a caring and gifted artist who simply wants to raise our awareness of the need to preserve the ocean environment.
I find this art to be yet another feather in the cap of a beautiful and dynamic city.
