Balloon Dog (Blue) By Jeff Koons

Balloon Dog (Blue) by Jeff Koons’ is a large (121 x 143 x 45 inches, which is almost 11 feet tall, 12 feet long, and 4 feet wide), stainless steel, sculpture in the form of a bright blue balloon dog. The artist intended for this artwork to remind its viewers to appreciate the colorful, simple, and youthful aspects of our lives that we may forget about as we mature.
Color is a very meaningful part of almost all artworks. For this sculpture, the artist chose a particularly vibrant blue. The light blue hue used is not only a common color for balloon animals, but it also is one of the first colors we learn as children, which further ties this piece to memories of our youth. This artwork conveys simplicity in its use of only one color. This is reminiscent of the simplicity of childhood.

The sculpture’s size is important as well.

Once again, this sculpture is almost 11 feet tall. If you’re trying to get the attention of a child, you’d likely have the object at eye level. Much like how grocery-stores place cereal boxes with colorful characters on the lower shelves. An 11-foot-tall sculpture would appear monolithic to a child, and they may struggle to comprehend it. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the intended audience for this artwork was those who needed to be reminded of their youth rather than those who still have it. Additionally, the size of the piece adds to its silliness. There is no real need for a Balloon Dog that size, other than for the sake of fun. This reminds the viewers that not everything needs to be purposeful or serious. Some things should be a little

silly.
Balloons are temporary objects. They either pop or deflate rather quickly. They are fit for young children with short attention spans, a cheap toy that entertains them for a day or two, which is when they’d move on to the next thing anyways. However, this sculpture is made from stainless steel, which transforms the subject from a temporary toy into a long-lasting work of art. This reminds the viewers that the childish aspects of their lives are here to stay, and they should be celebrated rather than hidden away.
Of course, the element of this sculpture that has the strongest association with youth is its form. It evokes memories of attending a fair or going to the zoo as a child and having your parents buy you a balloon animal. Or possibly a warm summers afternoon where your father decided to share with you the secret art of how to make a balloon dog (or giraffe, in my case). When you look at it, you can almost hear the funny squeaking sound of twisting it into shape. Part of what makes this sculpture seems so real is its texture. This sculpture has a smooth, polished texture that allows light to reflect off it which furthers the illusion that this heavy steel object is actually a transparent, light-weight balloon. Just picture this sculpture falling over. Does it make a loud crash? Or does it appear to lightly bounce off the ground a few times? That shows how well the artist recreated his subject.
Through color, form, size, and material, the artist managed to appeal to the inner-child in us all and remind us that we should celebrate and appreciate the silly things in life. The sculpture seems to be a mirror reflecting our own views and memories of youth and childhood and presenting those as the true artwork, rather than the sculpture itself.