Richard Serra, Sculptor
Jeffrey Brown from the PBS NewsHour
RS: “A list of verbs. To cut, to roll, to form, to curve, to lean, to prop.”
JB: “And what was the idea?”
RS: “Just to take a material and in relation to a procedure, see what would happen. Now you could go through a lot of variations… Let me show you one. If you look at a piece like this, one of the verbs was called “To Lift.” I had a piece of rubber and it was about maybe eight or ten feet long. It was about four feet wide. I took it on its edge and I simply lifted it up. And I wondered if that was enough to sustain itself as a work of art. And because it had a continuous inside and outside surface and it free-stood and it really was an exposition of the activity of lifting, I thought that I can put my name on that. I wanted to really invent my own procedures for making what I thought could be considered a work of art.”
…
RS: I think what artists do and they’ll continue to do is they invent their own procedures. Because if you’re going to use the tools of another master, you’re never going to be able to deconstruct his house. You’re not going to be able to use the same tools if you're going to do your own original work. And I think every generation has to find its own tools and own procedures. And I think what’s interesting about art is that unexpected youth will take it somewhere else.
…
RS: This is how it begins. It always begins with models. And what we try to do, what we’re really involved with is invention of form and experimenting with form. And that’s what I’ve always been involved with.
Transcript by Daniel G. Hill
The phrase "how can something so heavy be so light?" is frequently linked with the creations of American sculptor Richard Serra, notably his large-scale metal sculptures. Serra is celebrated for his monumental steel sculptures that defy gravity, challenging our notions of weight, balance, and space.
Despite their imposing size, Serra's sculptures possess an unexpected lightness and elegance, achieved through his adept manipulation of material, form, and spatial relationships. Here's how he achieves this illusion:
Curved Forms
Serra often incorporates curved or undulating shapes, suggesting dynamic movement and fluidity. These curves convey a sense of weightlessness, as if the metal effortlessly defies gravity.
Balanced Composition
Despite their bulk, Serra's sculptures are meticulously balanced and engineered to stand upright. This equilibrium creates the illusion of effortless suspension in space, contradicting their actual weight.
Negative Space
Serra's sculptures interact with their surroundings, creating dynamic interplays of positive and negative space. Openings within the sculptures allow light to pass through, enhancing their sense of transparency and lightness.
Minimalist Aesthetic
Serra's minimalist approach emphasizes simplicity and purity of form. Stripping away extraneous elements, he focuses on essential geometric shapes, resulting in sculptures that appear weightless despite their size.
Materiality
Despite using heavy materials like steel, Serra treats them in ways that defy their weightiness. Through rolling, folding, and stacking, he transforms the metal into fluid, organic forms that seem to float in space.
Overall, Richard Serra's sculptures challenge perceptions of weight and mass, urging us to reconsider our relationship with space and materials. By infusing his works with lightness and grace, he creates a profound aesthetic experience that transcends mere physicality.