Fluency of Form

Magdalena Abakanowicz. Puellae (Girls), 1992. Bronze. The National Gallery of Art, Wash., D.C.

A first encounter with Magdalena Abakanowicz' installation, entitled Girls, is somewhat unnerving because all of these sculptural figures are headless. The Girls (Puellae) in the sculpture garden of The National Gallery in Washington, D.C. may initiate questions about identity, and the potential loss of identity.  This group of slender figures are uniformly aligned in an upright, rigid posture as if awaiting instructions like young schoolgirls.  Their forms harmonize with the natural setting among the trees of the sculpture garden.  The bronze color blends with tree trunk bark, and surfaces reflect natural sunlight to establish a serene atmosphere.  The headless forms harmonize with nature, even as the incomplete body is an assault to nature. 

This particular group may be suggestive of imposed uniformity or a group’s ability to resist oppression.  Magdalena, who has an ouevre of sculptural installations with groups of headless figures, grew up in Poland during World War II.  The atrocities of war were not erased from the artist’s memory, as she pursued her own creative expression. 

This reoccurring theme of the headless human figures may also trigger interest in the sculptor’s personal life.  Magdalena was born in 1930 to an affluent family in Poland, but experienced the trauma of Nazi occupation in World War II.  Her mother’s arm was severed by the brutal gunfire of drunken soldiers at the family’s estate.  Despite political hardships, Magdalena was to develop an avenue for personal expression through the arts.  And yet, she does not intend sociopolitical interpretations of her work, but generally prefers to address universal issues about the human condition in mythical terms.

The continued preoccupation with figurative groups reflects her interest in collective behavior. So, even though the Girls are unable to utter a word, the art form speaks quite fluently. 

Note:  a massive steel sculpture by Mark di Suvero is adjacent to the installation of Girls, and is included in the photograph above.

An explanation about this sculpture is provided by the National Gallery of Art at:

http://www.nga.gov/feature/sculpturegarden/sculpture/sculpture4.shtm

References:

Inglot, Joanna. The Figurative Sculpture of Magdalena Abakanowicz: Bodies,

     Environments and Myths. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2004.

Magdalena Abakanowicz. 2006. Studio S.

     http://www.abakanowicz.art.pl (accessed March 17, 2013).

Preble, Duane and Sarah. Artforms, 5^th edition. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.

The Tensegrity of Kenneth Snelson’s Sculpture

Kenneth Snelson, Easy Landing. Stainless steel, 1977.    

Kenneth Snelson’s sculptures are a testimony to the interdisciplinary relationship between science, technology, engineering, math and art.  A prime example of his work, entitled Easy Landing, is located near the entrance to the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore City’s inner harbor.

Snelson was inspired by physics to explore the idea of what holds matter together, and his own ideas are creatively expressed through his open-space, linear sculptures. His colleague, Buckminster Fuller, coined the term tensegrity (a combination of tension and integrity) to describe the interaction between natural forces of compression and tension.  These forces are of primary concern to architects and engineers, and are also critical to Snelson’s sculpture.  In 1965, Snelson acquired a patent entitled, “Discontinuous Compression, Continuous Tension Structures,” and he has applied these principles to many of his sculptures. Everyone can appreciate the formal beauty of his art form, and recognize the artist’s own interest in the marvels of science.

Reference:

Snelson, Kenneth. “The Art of Tensegrity.” Reprinted from International Journal of Space

    Structures (vol. 27, no. 2&3, 2012): 70-80. http://www.kennethsnelson.net/articles-reviews/

    (accessed February 26, 2013).