WP3: Pre-Write 3

As I spent more time with my sculpture during class today, I realized there were a lot of things I didn’t notice my first two times with the sculpture. One of the major things I missed was the various textures within the sculpture. I did touch base on them a little bit in my last post, but after today I realized I missed a lot of textures. One of the textures I missed was part of one of the smaller pieces of the sculpture. It had a very distinct ridged texture to it. There was also two parts that had two different kinds of separations to them, which created two very different textures. All the various textures added to the depth and the overall appearance of the sculpture.

Another interesting thing I found out about the sculpture is how it works as a frame of some sort. I was positioned at a different angle today when I was analyzing the sculpture and realized that it created a wonderful frame of the campus beyond it. This is something that would really appeal to viewers because it adds more to the sculpture.

One more thing about this sculpture that is really appealing is all the various looks it can take on. There are so many different ways to look at this sculptures and each way changes the meaning of it and can alter your interpretation immensely. If you look at the sculpture from the west the sculpture takes on the original appearance of a giant ring structure, but if you take a look from the south, you are then looking through a cylinder part of the sculpture and you get a completely different view on how the sculpture is to be interpreted.

Something I hadn’t thought about before was how the weather affected the overall look of the sculpture. When the sun is shining on it, the sculpture shines quite brightly and you can see the true bronze color of the sculpture. However, when the sun is hidden, the sculpture takes on a darker tone and you can see more of the black spots from the welding and you see the added depth from the natural shadows as well. This is something I hadn’t taken time to consider until today when I saw it in both lights.

WP3: Cursory Analysis

“Daimaru XV” is a sculpture made of lacquered steel. It was sculpted in 1981 by Michael Todd. The name Daimaru translates into “great circle.” As I looked at the sculpture, my attention is almost instantly focused towards the lower half of the sculpture. This is where all the “action” of the sculpture is. The majority of Todd’s works are inspired by paintings. He has been quoted saying he is “trying to paint with steel.”

This sculpture is very interesting to look at. There is a major, thin rod curved into the shape of a circle for the upper portion of the sculpture. Then, at the bottom, things begin to get a little hectic with various objects that protrude from the base of the sculpture, but continue to complete the “circle” that was being attempted. This is what all of the focus is usually shifted towards the bottom portion of this sculpture.

The sculpture was bronze in color for the most part, but there are some parts of the metal that take on a black tone from being welded. This contrast in colors creates even more depth to the sculpture. When the natural sunlight hits this sculpture, the colors really stand out and draw your attention to the various objects sticking out at the bottom even more than usual.

The most interesting part of this sculpture is that it is created of various miniature “sculptures.” There are some pieces that create the bottom that look like they could also be symbolizing some things. Some pieces of metal bear an interesting resemblance to various objects you’d find in life and nature. There is one piece of metal that sticks out and has many separations and is kind of coiled. As I looked at this particular object of the sculpture, a snake came to my mind. Although I don’t really believe this was the intention of the sculptor, it was an interesting find within the sculpture. Things like that object gave me more to look at and think about when I was viewing this sculpture.

There is definitely visual hierarchy within this sculpture. The main, thin rod is what captures the viewer’s eye for the first time, but as soon as you begin to follow the rod, you find the disorganized bottom portion of the sculpture. This visual hierarchy almost gives the sculpture actual movement. As I look at the sculpture in this way, I can see the sculpture rolling away and all these objects flying out of the circle. The visual hierarchy creates this movement within the piece.

There are various textures found within the sculpture as well. The majority of the sculpture is smooth, as you would imagine metal to be. However, other parts of the sculpture have a rippled effect to them, almost like the ripples and waves of water. Another part of the sculpture has separations in it, which gives it an interesting dashed feeling to it. There are also some parts of the sculpture that don’t appear to be sanded, so it gives it kind of a pokey feeling to it.