Roxy Paine

Roxy Paine is a very unique artist. Paine uses machines that are computerized to mechanically produce both sculptures and paintings. He enjoys taking these mechanical sculptures and make organic and natural forms such as plants and other things in nature. This leads to confrontation about the contradiction of nature and man made objects. Paine’s works would question the acceptance about nature vs. culture vs. artificial. His works have been exhibited internationally and included in other collections as well.

“Maelstrom” created in 2009 that is made out of stainless steel. The dimensions of this work are 29 x 130 x 25 ft. This work includes stainless steal pipes, plates, and rods that he would bend, dent, and conjoin together to create his branch like structures that appears to be a forest. Not just a forest but also a forest that was destroyed. His reasoning behind this work is relating it to a historical event that happened in 1908 in Paine cities in Tunguska event. During this event a meteor hit and exploded in mid are and then crashed a destroyed 80 million trees. This piece stimulates an effort of endless cycles of living and dying. During the same time it also gives a sense of serene meditation idyll overlooking central park.
"Maelstrom"

Other works

“Crop” created in 1997-98. Made out of lacquer, epoxy, oil paint, and pigment. The dimensions of this piece are 58 x 96 72 inch.

“Weed Choked Garden”

Anish Kapoor

Kapoor’s art entitles and uses Western and Eastern culture as a part of his works. From these cultures and visits to his own culture in India he has decided to use more natural and cultural materials such as sandstone, limestone, marble, slate, granite, pigment and plaster. The pigments and vivid hues that he uses helps the detail of his sculptures and gives a feeling of inner beauty and radiance.

            Kapoor as well uses geometric shapes and biomorphic views for his sculptures by using the materials listed above. His forms are also usually monochromatic or very brightly colored. Kapoor also focuses on freestanding sculptures and installations. He would also make apertures that would allude to and play with dualities like light and dark and the body and mind.

            One of his works is titled “Cloud Gate” and is placed in Chicago in Millennium Park. Made out of steel plates and is 66ft long, 33ft high, 42 ft wide and weighs 110 tons. These stainless steel plates are used as a frame, which is hollow in this inside. “Cloud Gate” Was built and finished where it is today. The reasons for this are because it is too heavy and dangerous to move in downtown Chicago.  People have given other names to this piece such as “the Bean” and the “Chicago Bean”.

"Cloud Gate"

Other Works”

“Sky Mirror” 2006; Placed in the Kensington Gardens during 2010 and 2011 in London.

"Memory" 2008

Donald Judd

Donald Judd’s goal was to create artist sculptures that involved real materials in real space. The majority of his works involved geometric shapes, nothing organic.  He would take these geometric shapes that he puts forth on a wall. Finally he leaned more toward freestanding sculptures. When working he kept in mind that he wanted everyday shapes and nothing that made the eye think. A lot of his works also are untitled which makes this artist a little different from some. The style Judd focused on was minimalism. Even though all of his work was very simple, it did not focus on the terms of geometry and the nature of mathematics. This is what let him to unlike the people who didn’t like his simplicity. His main goal behind is work is to balance out the space that is occupied by the objects.

A work that has stood out to me is also “Untitled” made in 1989 and created out of aluminum that is painted. The color of the paint is strictly made out of primary colors. Where this piece is placed also helps this piece. The reason behind this is because it is very contrasting with the tall surrounding megaliths in midtown Manhattan. This form is also visible through to large atrium roof that is above the form. This sculpture shows juxtaposition and he takes advantage of this to create what he describes as romantic and mood elevating to the audience.

 "Untitled" 1989

Other works:

“Untitled” 1975 made out of concrete.

“Unititled” made of industrial reflective surfaces that reflect back the space that surrounds it. 

Tim Hawkinson

Hawkinson’s main works are known fro being very complex systems through simple means. Tim’s used materials usually come from random household items and industrials items. Tim uses these to create sound, breath or record the passage of time. All of his art forms are associated with meaning and the process of art. He also enjoys using his body for the main focal point as long as the source.  Some of his particular works involve a mechanical system that is arranged to solve a certain problem or help play out an idea.

“Pente cost” made in 1999 and created out of polyurethane, foam, sonotubes, and using mechanical components. Hawkinson explains to everyone that this work was acquired from a previous work he had completed. While making this he sat himself in a bath while he would slowly fill up the tub with black paint. During this time a photographer would take pictures every ten seconds. This was a technique he used to create contour casts of his body. Hawkinson explains that his idea came from the historical Jewish Holiday. On the Holiday 12 apostles of Christ, which received the Holy Spirit.

"Pentecost"

Other works:

“Egg” 1997; finely grounded fingernails, hair and superglue. Dimensions are 1 x1.5 x 1 inch

 

“Bird” 1997; Fingernails and superglue.

Don Gummer

The majority of his early work focused on tabletop sculptures, as well as ones that are mounted on the wall. During the mid 1980’s he took a turn with his interests towards large free -standing works. These works often were made out of bronze. Then in the 1990’s he began to use materials such as stainless steal, aluminum, and stained glass. Gummer was very interested in the large outdoor works, which also let him to an interest in public art. His art explores the depth of geometric figures that is affiliated with constructivism. This became part of his life during the mid 1980s to the present.

            Gummer’s style derives from constructivism but also gives a postmodern life to classic assumptions of abstract composition. His work leans mainly toward contemporary art.  Gummer composes his sculptures out of planes, which are parallel horizontal and vertical slats or bars.  In a variety of his pieces he merges his open planes as well as incorporating right angles and curvilinear forms.

 The process of his works begins with light sketches of his basic idea of what he wants. He then begins to create a large-scale sculpture that is made out of flammable materials like cardboard and wood. He then transports his idea to where it is made. The sculpture is cast in either bronze or stainless steel. 

Gummer installs a sculpture at the Glick Institute. This sculpture is called “Open Eyes” and stands 18ft tall. This was opened to the public on Friday August 12 2011, on the IUPUI campus.

"Open Eyes"

"Souther Circle" 25 ft of stainless steel

"Twins 5" 2008

Antony Gormley

His main subject of his works included his own body. He believed he could use his body as a vessel for memory and transformation that explores the collective body and the association between the self and the other. He tries to express this thought through using large scale.  When doing his work he explores the human body to space. By using himself and his own being as a test ground for all of his work.  He believes his work transforms a site of abstract experience into one collection that is extensive. He goes beyond placing his work in an art gallery and began to get involve the public in his works.

I find the “Angel of the North” to be mesmerizing. “The Angel of the North” is located in Gateshead, England. This sculpture is made out of 600 tons of concrete and stands 66fth tall and the wings measure 177ft across. This Angel stands on a hill on the Southern edge of Lowfell. This project began in 1994 and finished 4 years later. This sculpture and cost about 1 million dollars. The money to pay for the Angel was provided by the National Lottery. Gormely created this so his viewers can gain a sense of embrace. This work was build to withstand wind that traveled as fast as 100mph.  The people that live in northeast Europe call this their trademark of England.

"Angel of the North"

Other Works:

“Critical Mass” created in 1995

 

“Blind Light “ created in 2007

“Another Place” created in 2005 

Peter Forakis

He is his own sculpture that incorporates geometric forms, rhomboidal modules and truncated cubes. Peter’s main focus what his pursuit of the fourth dimension into large installations. He is very interested in the absence as in the presence. Forakis has discovered a method of cutting away steel forms. This was to take place of adding steel forms. This granted gravity and the materials abrupt weight to balance these massive objects without damaging them. Forakis believed that geometry is as way to stray away from the existence of abstract expressionism.

All of his work has mathematical disposition.  For all of this he has created a sculptural vocabulary specific to his geographical and cultural beginnings. Forakis states “Geometry…is a natural law that exists not only in my thinking and my blood, bones, and marrow, but in the universe and all its matter”. In his overall thought of three-dimensional art is that is wasn’t satisfying enough. This is why he explored to find a door that led to the fourth dimension. The fourth dimension to Forakis is an absolute realm of pure visual sensation and meaning.

One of his pieces is titled  “Park Place” which was relocated to 542 Broadway and closed in 1967. This piece has appeared in many public collections and humorous commissions.  Forakis used “Park Place as an experimentation and exploration.”

Another piece that is explored the fourth dimension is the “Magic Box”.  This box has a reflective exterior of two parallel rhomboids that are made of sheet metal and steel rods. Forakis saw the “dissolution of the planar surface” while showing “ mirrored space” which Forakis labeled as the fourth dimension.

"Magic Box"

 

Other works:

“Hyper cube” which was created in 1967. 

"Tower of the Cheyenne" 1972

Richard Deacon

Deacon calls himself a  “fabricator” not a “sculpture”. He uses abstract forms that are used with biomorphic and open forms, along with virtuoso engineering. He works with different scale that includes monumental sizes. He enjoys working with wood, metal and sometimes plastic. He uses these materials to portray human form with the aspect of engineering and to define the human experience through the senses and our language.  While using metal, Deacon wanted to depict the inner and outer anatomy and anatomy functions. He also expresses himself by using organic shapes while having their surface congruent with their structure. His work is usually shown in a very small galleries or very large events such as a sculpture garden or dance performance.

“Master’s of the Universe” created in 2005 is made out of stainless steel. The stainless steel creates asymmetrical sausage shaped forms. These forms tilt and interconnect to form a molecule-like cluster. Each sausage link ranges in size from 1 ½ to 7 ft. If you were to stand on a certain side it would look as if it were laying flat on the surfaces it is on. But on the opposite side it looks as if it were lifted off the ground. This is not normal for large stainless steel sculptures.

"Master of the Universe"

 

Other works:

“You” made in 1998 out of wood, cloth and epoxy resin. This piece’s Height is 130 x W: 143 x 35 cm.

 

“Laocoon” created in 1996 made out of beach wood, wood, aluminum and steal bolts. This piece is 430 x 364 x 357 cm and is part of his private collection. 

Tony Cragg

Tony Cragg

            Tony Cragg’s major them focuses on recycling and making this into a sculptor. Tony’s media contains materials that he has found from construction sites and discarded household materials. He is known for taking these materials and testing them to their limit by using special artistry. For example splitting, stacking and crushing these found materials. After this, Tony began to use more accustomed materials such as bronze, wood, and marble that he would make into simple forms. Cragg also has brought forth and used his technological background into his everyday work.

            “Bent of Mind” is a progression towards metamorphosis. This piece stands 465 x 270 x 270 cm.  It brings forth a way of changing its form into something different. Cragg says, “Making and viewing sculpture offers essential ways of knowing and understandings. “Bent of Mind” approaches the continuous state of flux in which all matter exists. As one moves around “Bent of Mind”, one gains many different perspectives of this piece.

"Bent of Mind"

 

Other works:

"Ferryman" created in 1997 out of bronze.

"Auf der Lictung"

Janine Antoni

Janine Antoni main medium is sculpting but she also does performances and installation pieces. Janine’s major activities involve using everyday activities such as sleeping, bathing, and eating. Janine’s major tool she uses is her body. The reason behind a variety of her works has to do with to exploration of female sexuality and to challenge the trapping that females endure in femininity in society.  While working she tends to use metaphors for these reasons. These metaphors help her audience focus on the main points of her work. This is why most of her work focuses on these everyday challenges women face, in the past and now.

All of Janine’s works are great an interesting to look at. But one of Janine’s works that I find the most talented and eye catching is labeled “ Touch” created in 2002;  Click Here to View Video this installation video took a lot of dedication.  This training involved months and months of strict training on learning to walk to tight rope. She wanted to bring forth and show life merging with art.  In this video she inhabits the life of a tight ropewalker, while in front of a beautiful view of the sea. The rope extends horizontally with the horizon of the sea and sky. The distance of the horizon and the beach is not shown in this illusion. By Janine wearing sky blue clothes while doing this activity, helps make the illusion of her walking on water stronger. The meaning Janine is trying to portray is one focusing on their individual equilibrium.

Other works: 

"Gnaw" 1992; 600 Ibs of chocolate that is gnawed away by the action of eating. 

"Slumber" 1993; a full rooms length;EGG machine reads her rem sleep pattern which she weaves into a blanket while she sleeps.