Untitled

This work is one of the finest examples of Robert Smithson’s mid-1960s “crystalline” wall sculptures. Consisting of a blue frame containing a series of pink mirror facets, it creates a geometric framework that incorporates – by reflection – the surrounding area into the sculpture’s interior. Through the effect of the piece, the space becomes flat as it is ‘introduced’ into the work. This condition is also a reference to one of the traditional arguments used to explain the work of art: as a mirror reflecting the world. Smithson’s work, however, is a response to the traditional prescription of the gaze, proposing the idea of dispersing vision into multiple geometric planes; a juxtaposition of mirror planes allowing the artist to capture numerous kinds of reflections of the surrounding space, thus achieving a varied range of perceptive or visual experiences for the viewer. The appearance of the wall sculpture also introduces the idea of the investigations into geological time that took place in Minimalism, and specifically responds to Smithson’s interest in mineralogy, which had led him to go on several expeditions with Donald Judd, and to carry out open air art actions.

Carmen Fernández Aparicio