Art Comparing Actual Sculpture to Theory About

Art

Comparing Actual Sculpture to Theory about Sculpture

Krauss begins her piece "Sculpture in the Expanded Field" by questioning what is sculpture and what is sculpture now? She recounts the ideas of other theorists and historians who claim that because anything can pass for sculpture, sculpture as a distinct artform, no longer exists. Krauss adamantly argues the opposite. She claims that the world and the artistic community is very much aware of what sculpture is explaining that sculpture has its own logic. (Krauss, 1979) She also describes sculpture as it relates to monument, as they are both commemorative representations (Krauss, 1979)

As the concept of sculpture expands, Krauss contends that most sculpture diverges between the logic and permanence of a monument and a homelessness, loss of place, or how she characterizes sculpture's entrance into modernism. (Krauss, 1979) She further describes another kind of sculpture -- sculpture that is both landscape and architecture such as labyrinths and Japanese gardens. She also describes its opposites; sculpture that is non-landscape and non-architecture. (Krauss, 1979) Krauss circumscribes the world of sculpture and ways in which sculptors engage space and the audience. She defines and redefines what sculpture is and the methods of expression or communication within the field of sculpture. The new spaces and forms of sculpture is what Krauss refers to when she calls upon the expanded field. She concludes the piece with mention the recent unification or manifestation of postmodernism in sculpture. (Krauss, 1979)

Mary Miss may be one of the sculptors Krauss mentions who creates pieces and audiences do not understand which part of the work is the sculpture. Miss' works challenge traditional concepts of sculpture and bound boldly into the expanded field of which Krauss speaks. A number of her pieces look as if they almost occur naturally; others look as if they perform some utilitarian function. Her works shows great variation in form, materials, and scale. Many of her works are outside and make use of the local environment.

Richard Serra is an epic sculptor who mainly works with metals. His pieces are known to warp and distort a viewer' sense of depth, space, and perspective. Many of his metallic pieces are massive. He creates pieces for both the indoors and the outdoors. Serra smoothes the metal to an almost unreal degree. The metal was originally rough, sharp, and angled; by the time Serra is done, the metal is smooth, curvaceous, and fluid. He too is an artist within Krauss' expanded field.