Analysis: The Lipstick On Caterpillar Tracks

Art and war have gone hand in hand for centuries, people make art to convey a message and to make a statement about current event; The Lipstick on Caterpillar Tracks and the Column of Trajan are both prime examples of art made to convey certain themes.

The Lipstick on Caterpillar Tracks made by Claes Oldenburg in 1969 was a monumental statement made during the unsettling era around the Vietnam War in America; many young people during this time found their voices and took a stand against the government and war efforts. The sculpture is a 24 ft. tall brightly painted structure depicting a massive tube of hot red lipstick ascending from a plywood war tank; they artist and his Yale architectural student peers never intended for the

structure to be permanent so it was made of simple materials such as plywood, and a comical vinyl top that could be inflated and deflated. The piece was originally placed in Beinecke Plaza on Yale’s college campus, perfect placement for it to be in full view by Yale’s presidential office. It remained in this plaza for ten months before it was taken down, reconstructed for a more permanent stay and relocated to a less prominent location of Yale’s campus.
The Column of Trajan located in Italy is another monument similar to The Lipstick on Caterpillar Tracks due to its tall and narrow structure, made by Apollodorus of Domascus by commission from the ruler at the time, Trajan. It was built in 113 A.D. to commemorate and celebrate the victories of Trajan in the Dacian Wars. It stands 98 ft. tall, and features 20 marble drums that weigh 32 tons each, all together that adds up to 640 tons. It also displays horizontal spiraling relief friezes in wrapping up the column 23 times all the way up which all together tells the stories of war victories and battles.
Both pieces are tall column like structures that are displayed in very public locations, the purposes of them however is quite different. Oldenburg’s piece is a message of discontent with what was happening during that time, a way to speak out against the government and really tell his opinion without words; the Column of Trajan was a piece by the government to persuade the people, reassure them that their leader was powerful and therefore had the ability and strength to protect them. Regardless of the message, both pieces conveyed something to someone.