This is the piece that frightens me. It does not make sense to me how it works. It appears to be some sort of floating orb, as if it were painted to show the hint of an orb where the painter took a dry brush to the edges.
Of course, it is actually a sculpture. I have no idea how it works, but to me, it's frightening. It is a three dimensional piece that appears to float within a two dimensional world. It has the appearance of an all-seeing eye, and appears to be looming off the floor of the museum. There is a menacing presence in this piece, far beyond those that actually depict menace. Somehow, this haunts me, and quite rightly, I think.
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Dr. David G. Stork
4/5/2022 05:27:37 pm
No need to be "frightened" by Irwin's work, but I think you really miss the whole point of it. Irwin set the sculpture forward from the wall but it is to be hung against a wall that matches the color of the sculpture. Furthermore, there should be no sharp, cast shadows. Then, we viewers look at the center of the work and for perceptual reasons we no longer perceive a boundary between the work and the background. As such, the sculpture perceptually "merges" with the wall... and by implication the gallery and the wider world. As such, this work envelops us in a remarkable way. So don't be scared.
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