Study then Visit

In my art and history II class we studied a ton of art. I was always fascinated to see that a large number of these pieces were featured at MOMA, the museum of modern art in NYC. I got a chance to visit and see a number of pieces that I had to write papers on. It was such a great experience. Seeing the size of some of these pieces was really neat.  This one was done by Donald Judd. He was a part of the minimalist movement.

Donald Judd (1928-1994) was one of the foremost practitioners of Minimal Art, which had its apex in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  (WAC) “Minimalist refers to a style of art in which the least possible amount of form shapes, colors, or lines are used to reduce the concept or idea to its simplest form.” (ArtsNet) Judd and other Minimalists sought to create a depersonalized art in which the physical properties of space, scale, and materials were explored as phenomena of interest on their own, rather than as metaphors for human experience.  (WAC) "A shape, a volume, a color, a surface is something itself," Judd wrote. "It shouldn't be concealed as part of a fairly different whole." Judd constructed his minimalistic creations in the 1960’s.  He used industrial materials such as plywood, sheet metal, and plexiglass.   These materials were arranged in three dimensional forms.  “He manipulated these materials into arrangements.  He stacked, aligned, cantilevered, or centered, their strict geometric arrangements—often derived from mathematical progressions.” (WAC)

I found this artwork fascinating and considered it a form of sculpture. This was probably due to my naive view that since it was in 3D, it must be sculpture.  Judd refused to call them sculptures because he associated this with the hand crafted art of an earlier era.  Instead, he referred to them as “specific objects”. (WAC) He also referred to himself as a painter not a sculptor. (ArtsNet) Untitled is an example of a “stack” of these industrial materials. This is considered to be one of his hallmarks. In appearance the materials appear to mathematically precise, however Judd himself has stated that they mean nothing in terms of mathematics to him. (Artsnet)

The interpretation of this art is fascinating to me.  I see repetition, precision, beauty, order, and discipline. According to Judd, “his goal was to focus on the space occupied and created by his objects--their purity of form”. (Artsnet) I typically look for a meaning that is more than the sum of the supplies used to create the art. An example would be Van Gogh’s tormented life and his harsh brush strokes.  I can appreciate the minimalist art, but I tend to see it for the ideas that it brings to me. I am not sure if that was Judd’s intent, but it works for me.

Works Cited

"ArtsNet Minnesota: What Is Art?: Donald Judd." ArtsNet Minnesota: What Is Art?: Donald Judd.  Web. 05 Nov. 2012. <http://www.artsconnected.org/artsnetmn/whatsart/judd.html>.

"WAC | Visual Arts | Exhibition | The Essential Donald Judd." WAC | Visual Arts | Exhibition | The Essential Donald Judd. Exhibition Gallery 7, 12 Aug. 2001. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. <http://www.walkerart.org/archive/F/AD7379EFF90772606175.htm>.