storm king, part 10: i've never been to england

but what has lasted in my imagination, at least since last winter, are david hockney's dreamy renditions of the yorkshire landscape, which you can see here.

these "new york trees" are my dream of england.

have a wonderful weekend

z, tree

storm king, part 9: king's colors

knobs and mistletoe. now that's a party.

left: knobs, 1976. alexander calder. sheet metal, bolts and paint.

right: gui, (mistletoe) 1976. alexander calder. sheet metal, bolts and paint.

five swords, 1976. by alexander calder. sheet metal, bolts and paint.

different angle, different sun.

i love this little mermaid island.

mermaid, 1994. roy lichtenstein. painted carbon fiber & epoxy skin over aluminum & honeycomb core.

foreground: endless column, 1994. tal streeter. steel, painted red.

background: the arch, 1975. alexander calder. steel painted black.

storm king, part 8: working it

as we made our way north to museum hill, a golf cart bounced noisily along the gravelly path, in the opposite direction. it was impossible to miss this woman's amazing head wrap. i started to daydream about wearing one, if it would be cooler. if i would look cooler.

we found out later that she of the big wrap is the artist (and new jersey native) chakaia booker, and she was there to oversee the installation of foci:

she also created a moment in time (2004), which is made of rubber tires, stainless steel, and wood.

i had referred to it as the "s & m piece" (affectionately). not that i have any idea about such things. it just looked from far away like leather...a lot of leather.

i do love the strength that this required, and conveys.

storm king, part 7: the pits

the view from inside isamu noguchi's momo taro, 1977-78, granite

40 tons of granite makes for a cool little hiding place

"lucky peach"

storm king, part 6: good looking

viewing scope, 2006. by alyson shotz...

(love)

all photos © anita aguilar

storm king, part 4: great balls of...

welded 12-inch spikes.

how does he make a (literal) ton of nails look so ethereal?

i met john bisbee many years ago at an uptown dive bar when i was a college-age lass. (i knew his brother from school.) our mutual friends, to a man, cautioned that he was very nice but a little bit "mad."

they left out the "genius" part.

his installation, squall, is one of my favorites.

squall was created especially for storm king's 50th anniversary celebration...

***

there is a slide show with some really beautiful photos of his work and studio in maine, and an accompanying article.

storm king, part 3: favorite thing

i stalked this from all angles.

what did it remind me of?

viewed from the hill above: a bullet chamber? collection of brass knuckles?

up close, it reminded me of the palisades or some rocky, craggy escarpment out west. it seemed so an "american landscape" i assumed the artist was native american.

but this piece-- for paul, 1990-92/2001--is by german-born artist, ursula von rydingsvard. in an interview for art21, she describes her early childhood in post-ww II refugee camps, and how those experiences influence her woodwork, materials, and technique.

this massive, intricate structure is made of 4' x 4' cedar wood planks, individually cut to varied lengths, then methodically glued and rubbed with graphite.

storm king, part 2: favorite trick

center: suspended, 1977. menashe kadishman.

rear, left: adam, 1970. alexander liberman.

rear, right: tthree-fold manifestation II, 1987. alice aycock.

it makes sense that these cantilevered, steel boxes are hollow, but i was fooled well enough that i didn't dare stand under them...

storm king, part 1: children of the corn

can you see me now?