Art in 5: James Turrell

“His work is not about light, or a record of light; it is light — the physical presence of light made manifest in sensory form.” — New Yorker critic Calvin Tompkins on James Turrell

Hi, it's Erika Brechtel with a third installment of "Art in 5!" Thus far, I have focused on a painter (Ellsworth Kelly), a sculptor (Auguste Rodin), and a photographer (Julius Shulman), so today I thought I would highlight an installation artist, James Turrell. I have been fortunate enough to see his work at an art gallery in Chelsea, at a museum in Scottsdale, at the ARIA hotel in Las Vegas, and at a small gallery in Wynwood, Miami this past December during Art Basel. What fascinates me about his work is that it seems so simple -- flooding light into a controlled environment. But what you don't expect is that you completely lose your sense of depth perception to the point where you are not certain of where the walls are, where the floor and ceiling is, if the illusion of an object you see is real or projected. In some of his spaces, your mood can even change depending on the color of the light. It is precisely this human interaction and perception of reality that defines Turrell's groundbreaking work. The gist:

Here are some examples of his work:

PROJECTION PIECES A Turrell Projection is created by projecting a single, controlled beam of light from the opposing corner of the room. The projected light appears as a three dimensional form.

Alta Blue 1968, London

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Afrum Pale Pink 1968

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Pullen White 1967

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WEDGEWORKS In a Turrell Wedgework, the precise use of projected light creates the illusion of walls or barriers where none exist.

Wedgework 3 1974, Holland

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Milk Run, 1996

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Raemar Pink White 1969, LACMA

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GANZFELD “Ganzfeld”: a German word to describe the phenomenon of the total loss of depth perception as in the experience of a white-out. Turrell artificially creates a similar experience through the controlled use of light, coved corners and an inclined floor.

Armta 2011

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Double Vision 2013, Oslo

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SKYSPACES A Turrell Skyspace is a specifically proportioned chamber with an aperture in the ceiling open to the sky. Skyspaces can be autonomous structures or integrated into existing architecture. The aperture can be round, ovular or square.

Open Sky 2004 Chichu Art Museum, Japan

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The Color Beneath 2013, Oslo

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TALL GLASS / WIDE GLASS A Turrell Tall Glass or Wide Glass piece is an aperture with frosted glass. LEDs are positioned behind the glass and programmed to change slowly over the course of several hours. A glass can also be curved. Each Tall Glass or Wide Glass light program is unique.

Coconino 2007

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Mohl Ip 2008, Phoenix Art Museum

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I personally love the ones that remind me of Rothko paintings. (Read my past "Design Under the Influence" column on Rothko here...)

If you're in LA, definitely catch the retrospective on James Turrell at LACMA until next Sunday, 4/6/14. I've got my tickets!

Images and descriptions from JamesTurrell.com

Top image: Akhob 2013, Louis Vuitton, Las Vegas

10 Things I Can’t Live Without: Anna Kohler

After last week’s feature on Anna Kohler’s dream apartment (as featured in Renovation Style), I think many of you were left wondering who this incredibly stylish girl was. I was so intrigued by her extraordinary talent and so smitten with her lovely taste, that I wanted to know more about her.

To say that I love blogging would be a complete understatement. One of the main things I love about it is the relationships it has allowed me to form. After posting about Anna’s apartment, lo and behold, I received an e-mail from none other than Miss Kohler herself, thanking me for the feature and letting me know that she is a fan of La Dolce Vita. She also offered to answer your questions about her apartment (I have posted her responses in the comments section of the original post). I asked her if she would do a “10 Things I Can’t Live Without” post to allow us to get to know her better and was thrilled when she agreed! Anna is currently an an art history 
and psychology major. She studied design last summer at Parsons, and plans to go to graduate school for design and work in design upon her graduation.

and if her gorgeous apartment is any indication of the future, I think she is someone we’ll be watching for years to come.

 

1. Puerto Rico

{Image via Planetware}

Puerto Rico has always been my second home. My mother was born and raised there and I have many relatives who still live on this beautiful island. Here is an image of Old San Juan, which has the most colorful, stunning architecture!

2. Tall Winter Boots

{Images via Michael Kors and Tory Burch}

While I may visit Puerto Rico every year, my home is in cold Minneapolis! Tall boots are my go to item during the slushy winter months!

3. Lucite

{Source Unknown}

Lucite furniture makes a grand statement without taking up visual residency, which is perfect for a girl like me who lives in a small space! In my home I have the Charles Ghost stools, but I love the humor in this piece.

4. Leo

Speaking of dogs…Leo, my adorable little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel…Simply the sweetest dog ever!

5. Shelves filled with my favorite design books and shelter magazines

{Jonathan Adler}

{Candace Bushnell via ELLE DECOR and Miles Redd}

{Todd Romano}

Throughout the years I have amassed a large collection of design books and magazines, from which I continually draw inspiration. I love shuffling through old Domino magazines or design books from years back. I keep all of these references behind closed doors in my office, but open bookshelves filled with stacks and rows of books and mementos make a space feel inviting and refreshingly lived in!

6. Statement Jewelry

My grandmother had the most amazing collection of costume jewelry, which I have since inherited. Everything from fabulous clip on earrings (she never pierced her ears) to strands of pearls and over scaled vintage necklaces. I even adore the jewelry box, which has that old vintage smell. (I took this picture using the awesome iphone application called “camerabag”, which allows you to turn regular photos into fabulous images that look snapped in the past!)

7. My fabulously amazing sister, Sarah

Sarah is the best sister ever! We are different in so many ways yet understand each other completely! She lives in New York, which is one more great excuse to get to the fabulous NYC.

8. Wallpaper

{Images via Habitually Chic and Sarah Richardson} {Images via Sara Story Design and Melissa Rufty }

9. Museums

{Walker Art Center}

I am drawn to all things aesthetically pleasing, whether in the form of beautiful interiors, innovative architecture or historic paintings. I love wondering aimlessly through art museums and am lucky enough to live right across the street from this museum, the Walker Art Center, in Minneapolis. For me, art serves as refreshing design inspiration.

10. Creating Art

While I enjoy taking in others’ art, creating my own works is my true passion. Drawing and painting have always been my stress reliever. Lately I have been so busy, but when I really have the time, I love to draw portraits. This is a series I completed several years ago while a student at George Washington University.

Art in 5: Julius Shulman

Case Study House #22 by Pierre Koenig, photographed by Julius Shulman, 1960

"...One of those singular images that sum up an entire city at a moment in time..." -- New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger

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Hello, it's Erika from small shop with our third "Art in 5"! Since we've covered a painter (Ellsworth Kelly) and a sculptor (August Rodin), today I thought I'd discuss a photographer: Julius Shulman. I actually had the immense honor of meeting Shulman at his house in 2007 through a family friend. At 96, he was as sharp as ever, and quite a spitfire. One of the questions he brought up during our encounter I still ponder to this day: What's more famous: the architecture, or Shulman's photograph of the architecture?

I remember he seemed to say with both pride and a hint of bittersweetness in his voice that he was still at that time making a living off of work by mid-century architects like Neutra and Lautner who had all passed away decades before. But in a symbiotic kind of way, these same architects became famous initially because of his photography. Would we even know some of these structures if it wasn't for his beautiful photography?

If you're not too familiar with him or his work, but have seen a few of his images, here's what you should at least know (and two little fun facts about two of his most famous photographs that he revealed to us that day!)...

And here are some of his photographs that you may or may not know:

The Spencer House Malibu by Richard Spencer, photographed by Julius Shulman, 1955

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The Booth House by architects Smith & Williams, photographed by Julius Shulman, 1956

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Convair Astronautics by architects Pereira and Luckman, photographed by Julius Shulman, 1958

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The Chuey House by Richard Neutra, photographed by Julius Shulman, 1958

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Case Study House #20 The Saul Bass House by architects Buff, Straub & Hensman, photographed by Julius Shulman, 1958

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Case Study House #21 by Pierre Koenig, photographed by Julius Shulman, 1961

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Case Study House #22 The Stahl House by Pierre Koenig, photographed by Julius Shulman, 1960

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"Chemosphere" by John Lautner, photographed by Julius Shulman, 1961

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"Chemosphere" interior by John Lautner, photographed by Julius Shulman, 1961

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Silvertop House by John Lautner, photographed by Julius Shulman, 1980

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One of my favorite quotes about his work comes from Newsweek magazine's Cathleen McGuigan who wrote that Shulman's photographs of modern glass houses in Palm Springs and Los Angeles "are so redolent of the era in which they were built you can practically hear the Sinatra tunes wafting in the air and the ice clinking in the cocktail glasses."

Cin cin.

Art in 5: Ellsworth Kelly

"I have worked to free shape from its ground, and then to work the shape so that it has a definite relationship to the space around it; so that it has a clarity and a measure within itself of its parts (angles, curves, edges, and mass), and so that, with color and tonality, the shape finds its own space and always demands its freedom and separateness." -- Ellsworth Kelly

Hello, it's Erika from small shop! After 30 installments of "Design Under the Influence" I decided it was time to move on to a fresh new column! If you didn't know, my B.A. is in Art History, so I thought I would bring some of my background to you, providing you with quick and easy synopses of art periods and artists throughout history. Fun, right? And as I am off to Art Basel in Miami tomorrow, I can't think of a better time to kick it off! First up, an artist that you may have seen and heard a lot of, but didn't know much about. Well, consider yourself learn-ed, with my new column "Art in 5"...

More Ellsworth Kelly:

"Study for Combe II" 1950, cut pasted colored paper pencil

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"Spectrum Colors Arranged by Chance VI" 1951, cut pasted colored paper pencil

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"Study for 'Cité' Brushstrokes Cut into Twenty Squares and Arranged by Chance" 1951, paper collage with ink

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"Spectrum Colors Arranged by Chance II" 1951, cut pasted colored paper pencil

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Study for Rebound" 1955, ink and pencil on paper

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"White over Black" 1963, painted aluminum

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"Magnolia" 1965, transfer lithograph from drawing

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"Spectrum IV" 1967, oil on canvas, 13 panels

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"Cupecoy" 1984, lithograph on paper

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"Houston Triptych" 1986

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"The Yangtze" from States of the River series, 2005, lithograph

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I hope you learned something new today! Let us know what you think.