OBJECT/SHADOW - Larry Kagan Sculpture

8
Drawing with Steel
…To be seen effectively, my steel assemblages
required a neutral backdrop - a wall.
I began to “draw” with steel on the wall,
shamelessly stealing at least a few of my
teacher Stankiewicz’† ideas. I saw how he
hung his steel constructions on the wall,
leaving their interior elements energized,
and I did likewise. Putting steel fragments
on a wall brought them nearer to the viewers,
and allowed the sculptural elements to
utilize pictorial language for expressive and
narrative purposes. I also learned about
scale from Richard. The intimacy of the
work had power because it could be seen
up close by the viewer - where tactility matters,
and where the rich surface of the steel
could do its work…
† Richard Stankiewicz (1923 -1983) was a recognized American
Abstract Expressionist Assemblage Artist
…Using shadows in a narrative fashion is
not a mainstream art practice. Even now,
there are probably no more than a dozen
artists who are working in this medium and
fewer who have achieved any significant visibility.
Art dealers and curators are also at a
loss when it comes to shadows…
LEFT
Point Guard, 2001
RIGHT
Great Book, 2004