Sculpture

Environmental Sculpture

Scale means everything to an environmental sculptor.  It is the scale and the natural materials used that give these works such connection and links to its viewers.   We can easily recognize the materials and the scope of the sculpture whether or not we have ever created on our own. 

Of the large scale artists recognized as pioneers and “ground breakers” there are several names that come to the top of the list.  Andy Goldsworthy—born in Cheshire, England, in 1956—is well recognized as one of the foremost environmental artists.  Nature is not only the provider of raw materials, techniques and processes, but is the perfect theatre for Andy Goldsworthy’s creations. Transported into an artificial environment, they would lose most of their charms. His creations remain bound to nature by content and materials.

Another sculptor who works in monumental size and with common materials is Richard Serra, born in San Francisco.  He is well known not only for the scale but also the controversy he brings to the media.   His claim is that artists, once contracted to complete a specific work, should have complete authority in the work that they present.  This is not always an acceptable attitude with some art counsels and committees.  At least once, one of his largest works was contested to such a degree that after installation and payment, petitions were issued to have the work removed. After a 1981 installation of Serra’s 120 ft. x 20 ft. curved raw steel sculpture “Tilted Arc,” a furor of discontent brought about legal action by Serra.   He wanted to protect his creative and personal rights as the creator and he considered the petitions a violation. Years of court battling and unrest followed, without a satisfactory result for Serra.  On March 15, 1989, during the night, federal workers cut Tilted Arc into three pieces, removed it from Federal Plaza in New York City, and carted it off to a scrap-metal yard.

Serra was equally displeased to hear that the art gallery “Centro de Arte Reina Sofia” in Madrid had “mislaid” one of his works—amazing when you consider that the piece weighed 38 tons. Speculation is that the work was mistakenly considered scrap and disposed of.  Imagine the humiliation of having your work tossed.  Serra has since installed other sculptures that have been met with wide appeal by the public.

Robert Smithson, 1938–73, was born in Passaic, N.J..  After first making modular, serial sculpture, Smithson began to design large-scale earthworks in the 1960’s. Smithson reshaped the landscape in a way that recalled both the forces of nature and ancient archaeological sites.  Of these works, one in particular stands out and is remembered by many.  “Spiral Jetty” (1970) was created on the Great Salt Lake in Utah.  Huge quantities of earth and stone combine to create an open spiral that is 1500 feet long and includes a path 15 feet wide.  Tragically, Smithson died in an airplane crash while overseeing one of his earthwork sculptures.

Christo, born in Bulgaria as Javashev Christo, is best known for producing enormous packaging projects.  He—along with his wife Jeanne-Claude—wraps parks, buildings, and entire outdoor landscapes.  The major motivation is his desire for people to enjoy art outside of the normal museum and gallery setting.  He feels the temporary, spontaneous look of his works intrigues the viewer to investigate and come close to the walls, curtains and wraps that he installs.  The scale of his works is very impressive.  Regardless of the effect or locale, Christo’s extensive lines of fabric running along sidewalks, across lawns, and over walls give the environments a renewed sense of intimacy.  This effect might seem accidental, but Christo’s work is highly refined, well thought through and entails years of planning.  Remarkably, all costs for the installations are borne by the artist and his wife.  They feel this is the only way to keep their work pure and they pay for all materials and hired workers to assist in the installations.  Sales of Christo’s preliminary drawings of the works cover all costs.  For an update on proposed projects, visit www.christojeanneclaude.net.

Many environmental sculptures are interesting and appealing because of their use of natural materials and their placement in natural settings.  You can create your own such sculpture with a little ingenuity and some simple materials.  Bags of soil or sand and stones can be used to create miniature ridges and shapes that mimic some of the simple and interesting earth sculptures.   Or perhaps you want to do small-scale wraps similar to Christo’s works—something that would surely elicit reactions from friends and neighbors!

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 17 No. 5 — March 2007