Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Mark di Suvero - Millennium Park [North & South Boeing Gallery]

Mark Di Suvero is one of America's most influential artists, famous for his massive works in abstract expressionism. On the stand seen in the third image is written ...
"He encourages viewers to walk through, on and around his sculpture, so they can experience it from all perspective"...
Temporary Exhibit: From April 17, 2007 -to- April 1, 2008.

Five sculptures of Mark Di Suvero are exhibited in the Millennium Park.
Two in the North Boeing Gallery, and..
Three in the South Boeing Gallery
NORTH GALLERY: Orion and Johnny Appleseed..
SOUTH GALLERY: Shang, Rust Angel and Yoga..

NORTH GALLERY..


Orion
2007 .. H-53' X W-26'8" X D-20' [Painted Steel]
Mark di Suvero transforms heavy industrial materials into vibrant uplifting forms. Di Suvero often paints his sculptures to bright orange red so they create a striking drawing against the blue sky. The artist draws inspiration from many sources including mathematics, physics, music, poetry and astronomy. The sculpture refers to the constellation named for the famed hunter of Greek mythology.


Johnny Appleseed.
1989-93 ... H-23' X W-22' X D-44' [Steel and Stainless Steel]
Mark di Suvero is recognized by contemporary art scholars and critics for inventing a radical style of art which challenges the very nature and defiunition of sculpture. Built from steel and found materials such as wooden beams and scrap metal, this abstract assemblages are large in scale and powerfully expressive. Open forms that unfolds and thrust outwards, his sculpture define and describe the space they occupy.

Johnny Appleseed is a masterpiece of artists use of unorthodox materials. The tiles refers to the celebrated nurseryman who redefined the American landscape by planting orchards and giving seeds and trees to pioneer settlers, introducing the apple to Ohio, indiana and Illinois ...



SOUTH GALLERY..


Shang: 1985 .. H 25' X W 19' X D 7'8" [Steel]
The sculpture features a suspended steel I-beam bent by the artist into a swing that visitors are invited to ride. It's title refers to the Shang dynasty and is a tribute to the country where di Suvero was born ...


Rust Angel: 1995 .. H-8'11" X W-14'7" X D-7'8" [Painted Steel]
The main body of the sculpture is crafted from a single plate of steel, which Di Suvero cut with a torch, and then pulled into complex configuration.


Yoga: 1991 ...H-29' X W-31' X D-31' [Steel and Stainless Steel]
A bent steel I-beam rests high overhead on a bearing that enables it to move in the wind. the five-ton element appears weightless as it spins and rocks gently up and down.



An excerpt from the stand ... "Mark di Suvero does not make technical drawings or models from his large scale work. He engages directly with the material making the sculptures himself. He draws free hand onto steel plates which he considers his paper and the arcs he cuts out with a cutting torch express the compass reach of his outstreatched arms. Using a crane he brings steel plates and beams together welding and bolting them into place. He would also cold bend the steel with an anchor and a crane, a technique that can be seen in Rust Angel, Shang and Yoga."

These sculptures are on display ...
From April 17, 2007 - to - April 1, 2008.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

i have been hearing that the great di suvero has lost his touch
can this be true
yes
his reputation as a pioneer of sculpture is suffering due to his shortsighted self inflated ego
after meeting the man at a recent socrates get together, i was taken aside by a lawyer fried of di suvero and told a few stories about how he has tried to keep the good sculptors down and promote the sculptors who pose no threat to him
this is a sad state of affairs and i was saddened to hear it
i also spoke frankly with several sculptors who work for him and was told that the above is basically true and that his work as of lately is uninspired and generally not what it used to be
he apparently has a reputation amongst his peers as a pompious and vain person
i only hope that he realizes that the art world will be talking about him long after he is gone from our world, and the damage has been done.

Anonymous said...

I am offering a reward for the return of a personal sculpture given to me by Marc di Suvero. I worked with him closely at Socrates Sculpture Park and do not have a negative opinion of the artist as this anonymous post has recorded.
The sculpture was an abstracted form from my initials MGC, and stolen during a move from my loft on 2016 Baltimore Street in Kansas City, Missouri as I packed to go to New York City in 2002. It does not have much monetary value but is extremely meaningful to me.