
Martin Puryear: Lookout
Martin Puryear(Artist)
Gregory R Miller & Company (Publisher)
Published on 25. July 2024
Book
Hardback
176 pages
978-1-941366-64-6 (ISBN)
Description
Inspired by global masonry techniques and Hudson Valley history, Martin Puryear's installation for Storm King Art Center opens its oculi onto the museum grounds
This catalog documents the construction and unveiling of American artist Martin Puryear's (born 1941) monumental site-specific installation, Lookout, at Storm King Art Center in New Windsor, New York. The 20-foot-tall sculpture is built of layers of red clay bricks laid using thin-shell masonry techniques. Rather than straight lines and vertical walls, however, the work curves inward and upward, opening to allow entry from one side while producing a swelling form on the opposite end. In Lookout, Puryear evokes brickmaking as a once-primary industry in the Hudson Valley and references the vernacular structures that dot the local landscape.
Inside the structure, Puryear uses the work's form and setting to encourage a heightened sense of presence. The brick surface is punctuated by a constellation of 90 circular openings created by tubes of fiberglass-reinforced concrete in varying sizes. These oculi act as apertures, creating pinhole vignettes of the surrounding trees and sky. The book is complemented by a broader retrospective of Puryear's work, including a selection of process models and drawings from over 40 years of his public sculptures and installations.
This catalog documents the construction and unveiling of American artist Martin Puryear's (born 1941) monumental site-specific installation, Lookout, at Storm King Art Center in New Windsor, New York. The 20-foot-tall sculpture is built of layers of red clay bricks laid using thin-shell masonry techniques. Rather than straight lines and vertical walls, however, the work curves inward and upward, opening to allow entry from one side while producing a swelling form on the opposite end. In Lookout, Puryear evokes brickmaking as a once-primary industry in the Hudson Valley and references the vernacular structures that dot the local landscape.
Inside the structure, Puryear uses the work's form and setting to encourage a heightened sense of presence. The brick surface is punctuated by a constellation of 90 circular openings created by tubes of fiberglass-reinforced concrete in varying sizes. These oculi act as apertures, creating pinhole vignettes of the surrounding trees and sky. The book is complemented by a broader retrospective of Puryear's work, including a selection of process models and drawings from over 40 years of his public sculptures and installations.
Reviews / Votes
A first person account of the decisions, history, and building the large sculpture is thrilling. -- Megan Kelly * Megan Fox Kelly: Art Advisory *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
120 Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 279 mm
Width: 234 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
1157 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-941366-64-6 (9781941366646)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Artist
Text by
Contributions
Foreword