The sculptor Arturo Di
Modica’s Charging Bull, in New York City was built as
“a symbol of ‘the strength and power of the American people.’” The term
“bullish” has been used to positively describe rising stock prices. However,
with the addition of the Fearless Girl, the Charging Bull has
instead become “a symbol of patriarchal oppression.” Besides a booming economy
or “an aggressive threat to women and girls,” the bull is also a symbol of the
astrological sign Taurus. This sign rules the planet Venus, the planet of
relationships and romance. Taureans are known to be as stubborn as the bull
that represents them. Yet, like other earth signs, Taurus is a sign of
practicality and reliability. It has an eye for beauty and enjoys the physical
pleasures of life. These down to earth individuals are generous and dependable.
Being much more interested in astrology than economics, I first associate bulls
with Taurus, not a booming stock market. To me, this is an example of how
context is everything – especially for artwork. Adding the Fearless
Girl to the Charging Bull drastically changes its
context, thus completely changing interpretations of the meaning behind Di
Modica’s statue. In this sense, I believe it is inappropriate and unfair to Di
Modica to leave the Fearless Girl standing up to what was
intended to represent economic success.
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