Michelle Dubert | An icon takes its rightful place

In one of the more defining moments of my Penn life under Amy Gutmann's reign, 34th Street asked the University president if she believes art has to be beautiful.

"No," she answered flatly, definitively. Next question.

The notion of what art truly is and what it looks like is a topic that connoisseurs and dilettantes debate with equal tenacity - what qualities make something art? What makes a Jackson Pollack "art" over, say, a larger-than-life rendering of a fictitious Philadelphia icon? The Philadelphia Museum of Art has wondered that recently, as it fought to preserve its artistic hegemony over a city proposal to set an eight-foot-six-inch bronze Rocky Balboa statue at its steps.

The Associated Press noted in August that the Philadelphia Art Commission's Art and Architecture Committee split its vote to relocate Mr. Balboa to the base of the museum steps, leaving the vagrant statue to languish in the annals of storage as its fate hangs in the balance. But the full commission, which had shot down the issue twice before, voted yesterday 6-2 in favor of restoring the statue to the museum, with its placement slated for Friday.

National Public Radio affiliate WHYY reported a month earlier that the statue, which Sylvester Stallone donated to the city in 1982 after filming wrapped up for Rocky III, was poised to return to its haven beside the Ben Franklin Parkway. It had stood triumphantly at the top of the Art Museum steps for a few months in 1991 before being moved to the Wachovia Spectrum, then to Veterans Stadium before it was razed, and to the Wachovia Center before it was removed from public sight altogether.

So, is this statue a pure-bred nugget of Americana or blue collar kitsch? Art Commission Board member Moe Brooker had told The Philadelphia Inquirer that "It's not art." Brooker was one of the two to vote against the measure Wednesday. He did not return my phone calls.

But that doesn't answer what is art. It's a matter of qualitative criteria, not a quantitative elimination process. It's at least worth the discussion people aren't having, and for more than the shameless permission to use boxing jargon like "short of a technical knockout" and "delivered a punishing jab" in this column.

Art Museum spokesman Frank Luzi told me the museum supports the statute returning to the steps. But is it art? "We've basically let that to others to debate and kick around," he said.

The application of art works in several ways. It creates an ambience; it can deliver personality. It can stir sadness or excitement, and it can fill a void where there was once a gaping hole of humanity. When the statue was dedicated in 1991, it was called a "celebration of the indomitable spirit of man." Art itself is one of the many manifestations of man's triumphs.

Yet some Philadelphians are concerned that showcasing the statue in such a prominent place would debase the integrity of the museum. Critics point out that the debate about the statue's placement conveniently coincides with the release of Stallone's latest Rocky installment, due out this December. Others see it as a symbol of the American Dream.

And others still believe the PMA should pay tribute to the immortal Italian Stallion that made its entryway recognizable to the world. And lest anyone forget, that Stallion is also responsible for a significant chunk of the tourists flooding the museum's hallways each year. The die has been cast: Rocky Balboa is the most famous modern-day Philadelphian.

The definition of art begs our attention every day on campus, as we're forced to ponder the utility of campus adornments like the euphemistically titled "Covenant" - better known as the "dueling tampons." Consider the backlash leveled against "Plateau" when it was unveiled on campus last spring.

It's a costly hunk of metal to many on campus, but a work of art to the faculty members who sanctioned it. The Daily Pennsylvanian published 13 articles on the subject this year.

Moreover, "any debate about what art is is good," Luzi said; in other words, art's a subjective measure. Thus the validity of the bronze Rocky statue as art shouldn't be discounted because it's not universally accepted as such.

Michelle Dubert is a College senior from Closter, N.J. Department of Strategery appears on Thursdays.

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