.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
“Material, space and color are the main aspects of visual art.” (D. Judd, quoted in D. Elger, Donald Judd: Colorist, exh. cat., Sprengel Musuem, Hannover, 2000, p. 11)
The effortless elegance of Donald Judd’s pristine Minimalist objects, refined over the course of his career, often belies the rigor of their construction and his unyielding commitment to the use of quality materials. In Untitled, the classical proportions of Judd’s one-meter-square boxes, installed upon the wall directly at eye-level, are warmed by the sumptuous wood grain texture of his choice of material, a marine-grade plywood fabricated from Douglas fir. Plywood has long been a mainstay of Judd’s work, but in 1972 he began to use the material in a new way by leaving it unpainted. In Untitled, the natural warmth exudes an almost glowing, buttery radiance. Its surface begs to be touched, and the nearly painterly quality of its appearance makes for a dynamic interplay among the three equally proportioned boxes.
In Specific Objects, his now legendary article of 1965, Judd defined the terms of his emerging style, which set forth a simple, three-dimensional object whose chief concern were the materials of its creation and its articulation of space. Judd rigidly adhered to these principles and as his career progressed, newer, more sumptuous materials allowed him a greater artistic expression whilst staying true to those primary concerns. In Untitled, Judd continues to develop and refine the immaculate Minimalist object for which he’s known. The three wall-mounted boxes display the extreme perfectionism that Judd demanded, and each depends upon the viewer’s interaction for their meaning to unfold. The interior of each perfectly-square form is bisected by two cantilevered planes, the placement of which varies slightly among each, making for a delicate interplay of light and shadow that changes with the viewer’s position. Progressing from right to left, the slim vertical gap that’s visible between the two diagonal planes gradually widens, so that the piece appears to “open up” before the viewer’s eyes when moving from box to box. This strip of darkened shadow is the fundamental driver of the piece, making for a theatrical experience that Judd creates, quite literally, out of thin air.
The natural wood grain patterning of the wood contributes to the elaborate sense of movement that is highlighted by these internal panels, and indeed, the use of these diagonal “inserts” would become an entrenched part of his visual language. In fact, Judd’s development of the diagonal plane directly resulted from his experiments with plywood. He also appreciated the material for its structural durability, which allowed him to increase the size of his work without it buckling under the weight of its construction. Most significantly, though, was Judd’s belief that plywood emitted a distinct color. He explained: “I don’t like plain plywood or plain concrete or plain metal to be considered without color. So to me they are colored” (D. Judd, quoted in J. Poetter, R. E. Pahlke and D. Judd, “Back to Clarity: Interview with Donald Judd,” in Donald Judd, exh. cat., Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, 1989, p. 94).
Materials were paramount for Judd, which he considered one of the three main aspects of visual art, writing: “The form of a work and its materials are closely related” (D. Judd, “Specific Objects,” Arts Yearbook, no. 8 (1965); reprinted in E. H. Johnson, ed., American Artists on Art: From 1940 to 1980, Boulder, 1982, p. 108). In the final two decades of his life, Judd gradually introduced new materials into his work, such as Cor-ten steel, copper, enameled aluminum, granite and plywood. In Untitled, Judd emphasizes the natural beauty of the Douglas fir, especially the smoothness of its pristine surface and the lovely patterning of its wood grain, which gives off a nearly marbled appearance. As the venerated New York Times art critic John Russell once described, “Mr. Judd can make Cor-Ten steel look more luxurious than silks and satins, and he can persuade us that his favorite among plywoods is to wood what the diamond is to precious stones. Everyday materials are in some way sanctified by his belief in them” (J. Russell, “Review/Art; Majesty Made Out of Plywood, Aluminum and Plexiglas,” The New York Times, 20 September 1991).
The effortless elegance of Donald Judd’s pristine Minimalist objects, refined over the course of his career, often belies the rigor of their construction and his unyielding commitment to the use of quality materials. In Untitled, the classical proportions of Judd’s one-meter-square boxes, installed upon the wall directly at eye-level, are warmed by the sumptuous wood grain texture of his choice of material, a marine-grade plywood fabricated from Douglas fir. Plywood has long been a mainstay of Judd’s work, but in 1972 he began to use the material in a new way by leaving it unpainted. In Untitled, the natural warmth exudes an almost glowing, buttery radiance. Its surface begs to be touched, and the nearly painterly quality of its appearance makes for a dynamic interplay among the three equally proportioned boxes.
In Specific Objects, his now legendary article of 1965, Judd defined the terms of his emerging style, which set forth a simple, three-dimensional object whose chief concern were the materials of its creation and its articulation of space. Judd rigidly adhered to these principles and as his career progressed, newer, more sumptuous materials allowed him a greater artistic expression whilst staying true to those primary concerns. In Untitled, Judd continues to develop and refine the immaculate Minimalist object for which he’s known. The three wall-mounted boxes display the extreme perfectionism that Judd demanded, and each depends upon the viewer’s interaction for their meaning to unfold. The interior of each perfectly-square form is bisected by two cantilevered planes, the placement of which varies slightly among each, making for a delicate interplay of light and shadow that changes with the viewer’s position. Progressing from right to left, the slim vertical gap that’s visible between the two diagonal planes gradually widens, so that the piece appears to “open up” before the viewer’s eyes when moving from box to box. This strip of darkened shadow is the fundamental driver of the piece, making for a theatrical experience that Judd creates, quite literally, out of thin air.
The natural wood grain patterning of the wood contributes to the elaborate sense of movement that is highlighted by these internal panels, and indeed, the use of these diagonal “inserts” would become an entrenched part of his visual language. In fact, Judd’s development of the diagonal plane directly resulted from his experiments with plywood. He also appreciated the material for its structural durability, which allowed him to increase the size of his work without it buckling under the weight of its construction. Most significantly, though, was Judd’s belief that plywood emitted a distinct color. He explained: “I don’t like plain plywood or plain concrete or plain metal to be considered without color. So to me they are colored” (D. Judd, quoted in J. Poetter, R. E. Pahlke and D. Judd, “Back to Clarity: Interview with Donald Judd,” in Donald Judd, exh. cat., Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, 1989, p. 94).
Materials were paramount for Judd, which he considered one of the three main aspects of visual art, writing: “The form of a work and its materials are closely related” (D. Judd, “Specific Objects,” Arts Yearbook, no. 8 (1965); reprinted in E. H. Johnson, ed., American Artists on Art: From 1940 to 1980, Boulder, 1982, p. 108). In the final two decades of his life, Judd gradually introduced new materials into his work, such as Cor-ten steel, copper, enameled aluminum, granite and plywood. In Untitled, Judd emphasizes the natural beauty of the Douglas fir, especially the smoothness of its pristine surface and the lovely patterning of its wood grain, which gives off a nearly marbled appearance. As the venerated New York Times art critic John Russell once described, “Mr. Judd can make Cor-Ten steel look more luxurious than silks and satins, and he can persuade us that his favorite among plywoods is to wood what the diamond is to precious stones. Everyday materials are in some way sanctified by his belief in them” (J. Russell, “Review/Art; Majesty Made Out of Plywood, Aluminum and Plexiglas,” The New York Times, 20 September 1991).