05/20/12
- Wall Sculptures and Photo-Sculptures
Curated by Carl Van Brunt -
The sculptures of Anthony Krauss are familiar to many people in our region, even to
those who may not yet know his name. Often located in prominent public or corporate
spaces, Krauss’s beautifully made monumental forms are hard to miss. Based on
fundamental geometric shapes, his sculptures are almost always adorned with reflective
surfaces, framing and interpreting their location and by implication, the people who
contemplate them. Many who pass by, may not be aware that the artist’s work can
also be found in far flung regions of the globe, including Saudi Arabia and Japan or
that his art is owned by several major museums as well as major private and corporate
collections. Or that Krauss’s award winning international art career dates back to the days
when Soho was the center of the world of art where he knew such luminaries as Robert
Rauschenberg and Louise Nevelson.
Visitors to The Woodstock Artists Association and Museum will have seen examples of the artist’s wall sculptures. Essentially relief sculptures, these smaller pieces exhibit the same concerns for pure form, subtly expressive color and elegant surface that characterize Krauss’s free standing pieces. The artist’s new exhibition, at Thaddeus Kwiat Projects features several examples of this body of work and also pieces which might be considered simply maquettes, but should in fact be approached as works that stand on their own. Krauss calls these photo-sculptures.
True, several of these small pieces have the appearance of models for Krauss’s large outdoor sculptural installations and indeed on one level many are. The photographs that create the visual context for these small-scale sculptural environments are mostly taken by the artist himself and are representative of real world locations for which he has made large commissioned works. However, Krauss, who began his career as a painter, has taken great care with every element of each piece right down to the color of the clothing worn by the tiny figures that inhabit the sites the artist has recreated. Indeed, if these works are viewed as carefully considered multimedia works, levels of meaning emerge that elaborate and expand upon the themes expressed in Krauss’s “real” sculptures.
dimensions variable
