The previous one was compared to The Head from Art Attack.
It may be a cliche to repeat it, but it remains true that many artists go unappreciated in their time. Van Gogh died in poverty, shooting himself in the chest at the age of 37, his work unrecognised. Paul Gauguin, too, suffered similar obscurity in his lifetime. While the works of Franz Kafka would have been burned and lost forever following his death had a friend not refused his last wish.
All these life stories are cautionary tales of society’s willingness to turn its nose up at works of art that future generations may revere. Last year, artist Emanuel Santos, unveiled a bust in honour of Cristiano Ronaldo at his namesake Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport.
The reception – as you are probably aware – wasn’t great. People pointed out the resemblance to former Manchester City forward Niall Quinn and The Head from TV show Art Attack. They failed to appreciate Santo’s talents. They laughed, and they laughed.
And now the public has had its way. The bust has now been replaced with one that bears a ‘more similar likeness’.
An airport spokeswoman confirmed that the old bust had been removed on Friday, the same day that Ronaldo scored a World Cup hat-trick for Portugal in their 3-3 draw against Spain.
See the new one here:
Madeira Airport has new bust of Cristiano Ronaldo pic.twitter.com/Q1woRYFXv1
— Madeira Island (@Madeira) June 17, 2018
“This is a matter of taste, so it is not as simple as it seems. What matters is the impact that this work generated,” Santos said in response to the backlash to his work last year.
His words ring even truer today.
