The Great Bear
Encyclopedia
The Great Bear is a 1992 lithograph by Simon Patterson. At first glance the work looks like the London Underground
Tube map
, but Patterson uses each line to represent groups of people, including scientist
s, saint
s, philosophers, comedian
s, explorers and footballers
.
The copyright of the work is shared between the artist and London Underground from whom the artist obtained permission after protracted negotiation.
A copy of The Great Bear can be found in the Tate Gallery
. The work is in an edition of 50 with a small additional number of artist's proofs.
wrote in his 2005 work Reading the Everyday that the map "suggests that the tube map has become its own reality, entirely abstracted from the work it ostensibly represents". Pamela K. Gilbert, author of Imagined Londons, expressed her belief that Patterson "discovered the dreams of modernism within the world of the 1990s in the same way that he found the dreams of the present lurking within the modernist space of Harry Beck's underground map", comparing the work to the writing of Iain Sinclair
and the artwork of Mark Dion
.
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
Tube map
Tube map
The Tube map is a schematic transit map representing the lines and stations of London's rapid transit railway systems, namely the London Underground , the Docklands Light Railway and London Overground....
, but Patterson uses each line to represent groups of people, including scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s, saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
s, philosophers, comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
s, explorers and footballers
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
.
The copyright of the work is shared between the artist and London Underground from whom the artist obtained permission after protracted negotiation.
A copy of The Great Bear can be found in the Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
. The work is in an edition of 50 with a small additional number of artist's proofs.
Responses
The Great Bear has provoked a wide range of responses. Ian Russell, writing in Images, representations and heritage: moving beyond modern approaches to archaeology in 2006, felt that the map emphasises that "the tube map distorts and masks realities". Social historian Joe MoranJoe Moran (social historian)
Joe Moran is a social and cultural historian who has written about everyday life, especially British everyday life from the mid-twentieth century until the present day....
wrote in his 2005 work Reading the Everyday that the map "suggests that the tube map has become its own reality, entirely abstracted from the work it ostensibly represents". Pamela K. Gilbert, author of Imagined Londons, expressed her belief that Patterson "discovered the dreams of modernism within the world of the 1990s in the same way that he found the dreams of the present lurking within the modernist space of Harry Beck's underground map", comparing the work to the writing of Iain Sinclair
Iain Sinclair
Iain Sinclair FRSL is a British writer and filmmaker. Much of his work is rooted in London, most recently within the influences of psychogeography.-Life and work:...
and the artwork of Mark Dion
Mark Dion
Mark Dion is an American fine artist best known for his use of scientific presentations in his installations. Dion has exhibited his art works internationally including at the Tate Gallery, Museum of Modern Art, and the PBS series art:21...
.