ART-PRESENTATION: Walter De Maria-Counterpoint

Walter De Maria’s 60 years career made a lasting and profound contribution to Contemporary Art. A vanguard force within four major art historical movements during the 20th Century: Minimalism, Conceptual Art, Land Art, and Installation art, De Maria mined both mathematical absolutes and elements of the sublime in his large scale sculptures and installations.

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Dallas Museum of Art

Walter De Maria’s aesthetic of the mathematical concept is typified by his iconic “Long Rod” series of sculptures (1984-89), which consist of multiple steel polygonal bars arranged in precise geometric formations. Five years in production, De Maria’s series of culptures were drawn through custom-made dies, hand welded, machine ground, hand ground, and, finally, hand polished. “Circle/Rectangle, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13” is one of only 10 works made by the artist between 1984 and 1989. While the strength and capacity of the material is unyielding, De Maria expanded the qualities of the works by allowing 3 formal installation configuration possibilities: Circle, Short Rectangle, or Long Rectangle. The series debuted in 1986 at the renowned Xavier Fourcade Gallery, New York, with a selection from the series installed at De Maria’s studio for by-appointment viewing only. “Large Rod Series: Circle/Rectangle, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13” (1986), has not been exhibited in a Museum setting for 30 years, when it was included in a solo exhibition at Harvard’s Fogg Art Museum in 1986. The Dallas Museum of Art jointly acquired the work in early 2016 with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. “Large Rod Series: Circle/Rectangle, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13” is on presentation at Dallas Museum of Art as part of a unique installation alongside El Greco’s “Saint Francis Kneeling in Meditation” (1605-10). El Greco’s work is an iconic example of how the painter geometrized his compositions. Through expert modeling he achieved a perfect equilibrium between naturalism and agitated expressionism. Beyond the refined formal qualities of El Greco and De Maria, there is a connection to be made between the artists’ shared interest in systematic production. Completing the installation is a programmed recording of “Cricket Music” (1964), one of De Maria’s rare musical compositions. Experienced together, the sculpture, painting, and audio component form a new and distinctive meditation on themes of minimalism, geometry, progression, and sensory perception.

Info: Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 North Harwood, Dallas, Duration 19/10/16-22/1/17, Days & Hlours: Tue-Wed & Fri-Sun 11:00-17:00, Thu 11:00-21:00, www.dma.org