Louise Nevelson: Shape, Color and the Universe

Growing up, I was a HUGE fan of coloring. Give me a coloring book and a box of crayons and I was a happy camper. Not only was the act of coloring enjoyable, but reading all the names of each crayon was a treat. Sometimes a bit over my head, or extremely familiar like Tickle-Me-Pink and Macaroni and Cheese. Even today I enjoy the occasional coloring book with all my favorite colors. Although most of my interests have remained the same, I now analyze that box of crayons, looking and using colors that weren't of interest to me growing up. One such color I have rediscovered is black. A useful and multifunctional color, but one used more for necessity and not for pleasure. Now, as an adult my entire viewpoint on the color black has changed. I now view this color as elegant, refined and the epitome of classic.

An artist who perfectly captures this respect and admiration for this sophisticated color is Louise Nevelson. Not only did she favor black, but her work focused on the element of Shape, a nice follow up to my previous post on the work of Frank Stella.

"I create my own universe with shape."

Her story has always fascinated me. Born in Russia, her family moved to Rockland, Maine at the age of 5. After her marriage, she found her way to New York City. Nevelson was a wife, a mother and an artist. When forced to choose what to devote her time to, the role of artist won. She embodied the fierce spirit of a woman on a mission. The choice to be an artist and not a stay at home mother was personal. I am neither praising nor judging Nevelson for her actions, but admiring her determination. After a period studying art, having very little money, selling little to nothing, she finally had her first show in 1941. Trial and error, plus another two decades would lead to the breakthrough that is characteristic of the style we know and love.

Nevelson, was up-cycling and reusing materials well before the curve. She would pick up wooden pieces from the side of the road, broken disregarded objects would become beautiful works of art in her skilled hands. She would assemble such pieces in sections, or individual boxes, and then combine these units together. What is so unique about her work, is the combination of several sculptures working together to create one overall environment. Nevelson is labeled as a sculptor, but her work is so much more than a static three dimensional object. As she said, "I create places not sculptures." I couldn't agree more. Her work transports you through your own imagination. You recognize objects and make others up all in the same breathe. It's impossible to be bored when faced with a Nevelson installation.  Just like her work, she was a character. With her layers of fake eyelashes, head scarves and shawls, she demanded attention.

In her work, she favored three main colors: white, gold and of course black. Each piece would be made up of smaller objects, but in the end everything would be painted a solid color. This way the viewer doesn't not focus on the function of one element, but on the work as a whole. The color unifies and presents a new opportunity to us as the viewer. To Nevelson black was aristocratic, weight less and most of all, containing all colors. This is exactly my feeling towards this often over looked crayon in my box. Her pieces are magical and inviting. When I stand in front of her work, I can imagine my favorite story coming to life, like I've become Alice, about to step into my own Wonderland. Lucky for me and you her work is very collectible. In Ohio alone, three premier institutions have pieces including: The Toledo Museum of Art, The Columbus Museum of Art, and The Dayton Art Institute.

From The Toledo Museum of Art:

Louise Nevelson, Sky Presence 1, 1961, Wood & Black Paint.

Detail from Sky Presence 1

From The Dayton Art Institute:

Louise Nevelson, Untitled, 1985, Wood & Black Paint.

Detail from Untitled 

 Each is one work of art composed of hundreds of other objects. Once a table leg, a railing, or a crate that outlived its purpose, it is transformed into a monumental and permanent work of art. What objects can you identify? Which are familiar to you and why? Did you ever view them as works of art before?

 In addition to being painted one color, Nevelson often worked in series, naming each piece for what it represented in the collection. Her motif: everyday objects re-purposed. Notice in the details that she did not altar the pieces that she found. If there was damage, nails or holes she let them show. Even art can be rough around the edges. She showed us beauty in the ordinary, that natural is more fulfilling than a fake veneer of beauty. 

Talk about seeing the beauty in every day objects. Look around you, can you view your common, ordinary objects in a new light? Imagine unifying objects with color. Which color best represents you and why? Has this changed throughout your life? If everything is the same color what happens is the focus is not on the purpose or use of the object, but its form and shape, finally it gets to be appreciated for being itself and not for its usefulness. Louise Nevelson was more than a sculptor, she was a creator. What beauty can you create today?                                                           

                                                                                                                                                 ~Samantha

Artist Highlight: Rineke Dijkstra

Beach Portraits, 1992

The work of Rineke Dijkstra, a Dutch artist who utilizes photography as a vehicle to create compelling portraits, has always fascinated me. When we think of portraits, generally a picture of a person looking at us, smiling, and seemingly happy comes to mind. Or perhaps, the generic grade school photos are more prominent. Whatever the case may be, having a picture taken of you always leads to a pose, smiling, and saying cheese. Dijkstra's photographs don't fit that description. In a way, they take a step further and show a true likeness of the individual she captures in her lens, rather than the facade that can be created by the 'cheese' effect. She typically chooses young adolescents or young adults as her subject matter, perhaps because they are the ones still constructing their identities, making the likeness all the more challenging to capture. And sometimes her choice of subject matter may be what what makes her photographs so enticing, moments in time with awkward youths, new mothers after birth, and intrusions in the park all give the viewer a feeling that they are an interloper into the private space of the subject.

Her most striking portraits were produced when she photographed women after having just given birth. Standing against a backdrop of stark white hospital walls, the viewer is presented with a new mother and her infant, still nude and not yet sure of the role that she has just taken on. A woman in a liminal space, one identity has been left behind and one is before her waiting to be donned. What strikes me the most is the contrast these photographs offer between what we all imagine those first moments between mother and child to be, and the reality of what they are. The surroundings that are utilized in all of Dijkstra's work emphasize the connection, or lack-thereof, of the subject with the photographer and the silent conversation between the two that may or may not be taking place. 

                              

To me, Dijkstra's portraits are all about the self, identity and the liminal space where they meet and are performed. We constantly are changing, whether in the roles we choose to play  or those that or forced upon us. And in a world where so much of who we are and how we depict that is created through our own choice, these photographs depict individuals at moments in time that seem private or unexpected, allowing the viewer to witness a sense of confrontational self-consciousness, if you will. 

So what do you think? Do her photographs allow for insights never seen before? Do they make you uncomfortable? Do you consider her photographs portraits?