Robert Irwin uses light, color and space as tools to create art works. As a pioneer of light and space, he introduced a different definition of the conventional art. Experience is important to us to understand and appreciate art works as well. Therefore, there is no doubt that perception is playing a significant role in Irwin’s works. In addition, even though his exterior garden is not that obvious to catch the perception. The utilization of light and space is still presence once people experience it.
To present
Prism, Robert Irwin,1967 www.acegallery.net
To observe
To observe is the aim to notice or comment on something. The way Robert Irwin observed changed from the following the frame to breaking the frame. At first he was just doing the painting like other artist. As time goes by, he became curious about pushing the boundaries of art and perception. Therefore, he started trying different installations. By doing so, he is exploring an open and altered perception created by the environment rather than remaining with the definition of individual art work. Different way to observe provides different possibility.
The Central Garden, Getty Center, Robert Irwin, 1997 www.getty.edu
20 colors//values minimum
To present is the aim to make something evident. The way Robert Irwin wanted to present is the perception and the experience. In order to do that, he utilizes the color and light to make viewer feel the perception easily. Also the presence and absence of edge can be controlled by the light. Another medium Robert Irwin used is material. Because of the property of material itself, he’s able to control the light. Scrim is one of these materials. It fluctuates between opacity and transparency. Therefore it can really change a space and the perception.
color or value pallette
Robert Irwin is associated with the Modern Art movement and is best known for his Installation art. Philosophers influence Irwin’s work, such as Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s ideas of engagement and interaction between the physical world and people. Perception becomes the most important concept for Robert Irwin, he insists on experiencing the surrounding. As Robert Irwin said, “We know the sky’s blueness even before we know it as “blue”, let alone as sky”. As an abstract, open-minded thinker, he presented experience first as perception or sense. He concluded that a sense of knowing, or ability to identify, helped to clarify perception. Light, dark, shadow and the space all of these elements create become the way Irwin expresses his art. Besides painting and sculpture, Robert Irwin engaged in landscape as well. The Central Garden at Getty Center is one of his famous projects. Even though it doesn’t look like his other works. This outside garden still shows Irwin’s light utilization. All of the foliage and materials of the garden have been selected to accentuate the interplay of light, color, and reflection.
Central Garden, Getty Center,LA
To measure
Pace Gallery Exhibition, London
To communicate is the aim to exchange information and idea. Robert Irwin’s idea is making people turning their attention away from the creation of conventional art objects and towards sensory perception itself. In order to exchanging this information to viewers, Irwin used simple shape, transparent material and light to catch viewer’s attention. Because of the material is transparent, the edge of art object becomes fuzzy. The perception of the object itself becomes clear. Therefore Robert Irwin is leading people to experience the world. And people get his “experiencing the surrounding” idea. That’s the way how he communicates.
Exhibition Miracle Mile,LACMA, Robert Irwin, 2013 www.lacma.org
lives & works: San Diego
“Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue” (2006), an installation by Robert Irwin www.nytimes.com
Influencer of Irwin:
Discussion of line, composition and color
Solid line
To communicate
Pace Gallery Exhibition, New York
Focus on the main idea
Lesson 1 A good way to express your idea is that maximizing the main point and minimalizing the rest. Robert Irwin takes consideration for material, shape and size and makes them as simple as possible, because he wants people to just focus on the perception and truly experience the beauty of the art work. Therefore, he chooses scrim, transparent glass and acrylic column. All of these materials fluctuate between opacity and transparency. In this way, it creates space and perception that viewers can easily notice.
To measure is the aim to determine the size that best communicates with the location. Robert Irwin is really good at finding the best size for his art work. Since most his art work are dealing with the light and color. He used the simple geometry shape as his basic element. For instance, his Miracle Mile is composed by 66 fluorescent tubes. But the large number of tubes makes the whole field stands out. It can be viewed both from inside and outside the gallery. Also it responds to the street and communicates with the outside location.
Short dash
Solid line
Solid line (field)
Short dash
Line (field)
Short dash (field)
Line (field)
From Robert Irwin’s art works, we can see most of them are created based on the light. Robert Irwin didn’t use complex shape for his sculpture. Instead, he used the simple shape, such as line, triangle and circle. He focused more on the material itself and the different perception. The composition of his art work is simple. Most of his works are one object or several identical objects. Also he broke with the figuration, the art work is representing nothing but itself. Because of this, people will only pay attention to the object and different perception of the space. For example, Robert Irwin played with the acrylic column several times. It is transparent glass itself but the color from it can be noticed easily. Another example is Miracle Mile, which Irwin utilized the light, material and color to let viewer experience the art work itself. Because of the fluorescent tubes are big enough (36 feet), people can experience it both from within and beyond the gallery wall. Different state of light and shadow, shows the presence and absence of perception.
Lesson 1 Field composited by patter
Lesson 2 Staying away from frame can be a good way to communicate. Not everything in the world needs a frame. Sometimes large number of figures can create field as well. In many of Robert Irwin’s art work, there is not a conventional object. He used a lot of fluorescent tubes to create a field. And because it is not just one object, it is more dynamic. People could have more change to see the perception from it. Escaping from frame provides more possibilities for experiencing the world.
Lesson 2
Lesson 3 Color can be very important. As Robert Irwin said, “the palette in nature is beyond anything any painter has ever considered,” The Getty experience taught him this. And he creates the art work named “Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue” for testing the power of these three primary colors. Color is playing important role in Irwin’s works, whether it's transparent or colored. But there is always a reason behind that, because he put any pieces of color on purpose. The purpose is finding the best way to show the perception.
different color stands out
Lesson 3
Line (field)
Maurice Merleau-Ponty Philosopher
1948-1950
Source: google.com
Long Beach, California (09/12/1928)
a case study by Danqing Sun
Robert Irwin
As an artist, Robert Irwin redefined art by using light. Robert Irwin was born in 1928 in Long Beach, California. He attended several art institutes after serving in the United States Army, such as Otis Art Institutes, Jepson Art Institutes and Chouinard Art Institute. Also he spent two years living in Europe and North Africa. All of these experience nourished his later art life. Irwin’s early work began with painting. However, in the middle 1960s, frustrated by the limitations of abstract painting, Irwin turned attention away from the creation of conventional art objects and towards sensory perception itself. Began his career as a painter in the 1950s and became the pioneer of the “Light and Space” movement in the 1960s. As a pioneer of California Light and Space, Robert Irwin’s experimentation with light as an artistic medium began in earnest 1965 with his series of reflective disk paintings. Irwin’s Prism, 1967 furthered the potential for what a sculpture could be, how it could be made, and how it could engage its surroundings in its lucidity and its ability to create, attract, and refract light. Irwin created the first thoroughly luminous sculpture. Irwin has conceived fifty-five site-conditional projects since 1975, ranging from the architectural and grounds design. And he became the first artist to receive the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur “Genius” Award in 1984.
tue
sti
Ot
n rt I is A
Jep
so
r nA
1951
1952-1954
te
e ut
tI Ar d r a
tit
s t In
1955-1956
n
L
ng ivi
i
e rop u nE
a fric A h
e erc
p
t& igh
gl
f ro
ee
n pio
n
o pti
rt
o
&N
uin
o
Ch
tu sti
1960
in us
1968
at all
ion
1970
s
ork sw
n
t lu co ins c i e l it cry rt s ra a sta cle in g be
mn
r
de
m
eu
s Mu
o
o fM
rt nA
a ins
tio lla
1974
ion ery lat Gall l a t E Ins PAC t a
1975
55 ed jects v i e ro nc co nal p s ha ditio in rI w -con 75 9 e sit ce 1 n i s
1983
nin un R o D Tw UCS on
et iol V g
or VF
ms
1984
1990
ur he Arth t t ec c e roj a eiv . Ma P c i T a re laz liforn to erine P t l s th rti ne Ca t a d Ca nti ena, s e r d S e fi an ar sad Th n D. ” Aw Pa s h Jo eniu “G
1997
y ett G n n i es rde ngel a lG A tra , Los n Ce nter Ce
2008
8) 00 Art 2 ( II of e I um c pa se d S s Mu n i a ht pol Lig iana Ind