Blog Archives
Pearls from artists* # 273
The Lightning Field
* an ongoing series of quotations – mostly from artists, to artists – that offers wisdom, inspiration, and advice for the sometimes lonely road we are on.
The night sky was clear, too many stars.
Satellites described distinctive arcs, moving too fast for
nature across our broad field of vision.
The desert floor was drenched with rainwater, and our boots
suctioned the mud.
The moon’s shy face revealed only a sliver, but the starlight
was strong enough for the poles to pick up its silver.
We watched time, light, and distance compress over The
Lightning Field.
The dome of the sky was palpable,
papered in stars.
How long ago did the light that reflected in the poles leave
its source?
Laura Raicovich in At The Lightning Field
Comments are welcome!
Pearls from artists* # 268
The Lightning Field, Quemado, NM
* an ongoing series of quotations – mostly from artists, to artists – that offers wisdom, inspiration, and advice for the sometimes lonely road we are on.
Visit 1: October 18 and 19, 2003, continued
The long drive through the New Mexico landscape from Albuquerque to Quemado to The Lightning Field is a gradual slide towards emptiness, a prelude. Or a subtle preparation for the eyes and mind. The practicalities of the cabin provide simple accommodations that address basic needs to maximize focus and minimize distraction.
At The Lightning Field, my experience of space began with the rational structure of the grid, which was eventually exposed by less rational behavior.
The artwork locates the physical environment in space, and my perception of the work began with the regularity of the grid. The repeated unit of the pole was not significant, only its holistic engagement between human scale and the landscape of the sky. Then the effects of light, the anticipation of cycles of change through the course of the day and night, the possibility of the unpredictable.
Laura Raicovich in At The Lightning Field
Comments are welcome!
Pearls from artists* # 267
The Lightning Field, Quemado, NM
* an ongoing series of quotations – mostly from artists, to artists – that offers wisdom, inspiration, and advice for the sometimes lonely road we are on.
In 1968, art critic David Bourdon wrote (before The Lightning Field was built): “De Maria is after a deeper commitment on the part of the spectator, who is asked to become an agent or catalyst in the fulfillment of the work… the burden of response is placed not on the sculpture but on the spectator.
Laura Raicovich in At The Lightning Field
Comments are welcome!
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