ART-PRESENTATION: Robert Morris. Monumentum 2015-2018
Robert Morris was one of the central figures of Minimalism. Through both his own sculptures of the 1960s and theoretical writings, Morris set forth a vision of art pared down to simple geometric shapes stripped of metaphorical associations, and focused on the artwork’s interaction with the viewer. in contrast to Donald Judd or Carl Andre, Morris had a strikingly diverse range that extended well beyond the Minimalist ethos and was at the forefront of other contemporary American art movements as well, most notably, Process art and Land art. Through both his artwork and his critical writings, Morris explored new notions of chance, temporality, and ephemerality.
By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art Archive
“Robert Morris. Monumentum 2015–2018 “ is the first exhibition to be dedicated to the artist since he passed away in 28/11/2018, and it presents a series of works produced by Morris in the final years of his life, and never shown in Europe before. These are sculptures depicting human figures, belonging to the two series “MOLTINGSEXOSKELETONSSHROUDS”, made of Belgian linen soaked in resin and placed over models to take on their form, and “Boustrophedons”, in carbon fibre, exhibited respectively in 2015 and 2017 at the Castelli Gallery in New York. Titled “MOLTINGSEXOSKELETONSSHROUDS” the series eight sculptures. It continues Morris’ investigations into a subject that is central to the artist’s work: the human body. As the title suggests, these works explore interior and exterior essences. They are made by draping Belgian linen soaked in epoxy resin over a human form, which is removed once the linen dries. The sculptures may be perceived as discarded husks or as wrappings. The figures’ ragged edges reveal empty interiors that maintain their ambiguous quality. In considering these works, the American art critic, writer and poet Carter Ratcliff writes, “Few artists show [Morris’] willingness to grapple with life’s temporal inevitabilities.” The interaction between the two figures of Maybe They Won’t Find Out could be one of consolation, fear, or mourning. The pointed caps of Dunce 1 Dunce 2 suggest stigma. There are no concrete reassurances given about how one should engage with the works”. Using materials associated with painting, such as Belgian linen and varnish to form the shrouds of sculptural figures, Morris creates remarkable tension: between the apparent presence of the figures and their absence, between the idea of sculpture as an eminently spatial art and that of the groups of figures interacting together to reveal an almost pictorial approach, and finally, between the audience and their perception of each scene. “Boustrophedons” is a Greek term referring to how early Greek texts were inscribed alternately left to right and right to left. The series presents four large sculptural installations composed of groups of human figures cast in carbon fiber. Whether lying on the ground, hanging from the ceiling, spilling down a wall, or simply standing on the floor, these unsettling groups of all black figures extend Morris’ long-standing themes addressing the human body, space, gravity, history and perception. Art historical references resonate in two of the groupings. In “Dark Passage” a group of six standing figures with bowed heads and obscured features, reverberates August Rodin’s “Burghers of Calais”. The suspended figures of “Out of the Past” make reference to Francisco Goya’s album of late drawings, “Witches and Old Women”. Morris’ recent sculptural groups bear witness to the artist’s growing interest in the human figure, and in the work of the great masters of the past. This marks a shift in his formal vocabulary, which seems to be definitively released from the sense of order and abstraction typical of much of the American avant-garde, to move towards more emphatically Baroque and allegorical elements.
Info: Curator: Saretto Cincinelli, National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, Viale delle Belle Arti, 131, Rome, Duration: 15/1019-12/1/20, Days & Hours: Tue-Sun 8:30-19:30, http://lagallerianazionale.com
