Buttresses 1985
Two huge forms of concrete penetrate the room.
Description
Two huge forms of concrete penetrate the room, one emerging from each side wall. The smoothly troweled surface has been painted blue-black. Their mass makes the long brick walls of the gallery appear to incline inward at the ceiling.
Artist Statement
My sculpture is centered on a continuous search for new forms. Since the work is not derived from images, but is rather an evolution of abstract forms which trigger associations with nature, I am always interested to find confirmation of my point of view in man-made and naturally formed objects.
Stone age tools, ceremonial objects, and idols fascinate me and are among the source of materials for my work. The content of my work is not so much nature abstracted, but a form which is evolved in relation to nature and which carries with it natural associations.
Because of this, my work makes use of natural materials, as they point the way towards the evolving form and provide a resistance which generate tension. I continue to use man-made materials such as concrete and iron because they make it possible to develop new forms quickly, while retaining the feel of a natural material.
Jene Highstein was born in Baltimore, MD. He attended the University of Chicago and subsequently the Royal Academy Schools in London and the New York Studio School, earning degrees in philosophy and art. An artist best known for refined post-Minimalist sculptures, he favored monumental forms and was adept in a wide range of mediums, including stone, metal, wood, glass, concrete and resin. His work is related to Minimalism but is distinctive in its sensuousness and its use of curving lines and organic shapes inspired by nature.