3-D Model

Anthony Caro

As you approach the 3-D interactive model, you may not recognize the forms upon first glance. Anthony Caro, artist and sculptor (born March 8, 1924, died October 23, 2013) is renowned for his multi-sided and abstract work with many mediums, mainly steel (like India) but he also used a range of materials including bronze, silver, lead, stoneware, wood and paper. Much of his artistic inspiration of form and architectural design was inspired by Greek, Indian, and Mexican roots. He wasn’t a religious man but he did travel to Greece and India. In his work, India, the dome-like, traditional Indian religious architecture came through in his work. If you zoom in from the front face (West side) of the sculpture we can distinctly see there is a correlation between his flat, door-like sheets of steel that stand as support above his intentional cuts in the lower, right parts that resemble the ornamental domes similar to that of the Taj Mahal. In India, the cuts in the steel were said to be depictions of appreciation of movement, beauty and shape that may be considered as symbolic of the religious deities the people of India would worship in their religious followings and cultural practices.

If you move right, around the pedestal of bricks that the work sits upon, to the southern view you will see a completely different viewpoint. The sculpture was modified by the architects that installed it on school grounds. According to Paul Brower, a Preservation and Museum Specialist at Western Washington University, India was not originally intended to be elevated by a small brick pedestal, instead it was meant to be at ground level with the audience. We can question how this may change Caro’s work and its interaction with its audience, if even on a subliminal, unconscious plane. Does its elevation effect you in any way? If you were to interact with the sculpture in person would you be tempted to step up onto the brick ring and move in for a closer look? As a member of the group for this presentation observed, there were many days where children, or students could be seen sitting at its base, or even exploring its edges with their fingertips.

The magic of sculpture is the dimensionality, something seen with the naked eye and even to be felt by touch. Dimensionality is something Anthony excelled with expressing in his work. Many abstract creations were inspired by how he paved the way for exploration of 3-D dimensionality in abstract sculpture. A view from the northern or southern sides, India is less broad and we are able to see how the steel plates and molded forms are seemingly tipping over, others standing in the background, or leaning on each other. These can be seen in their symbolic nature, a possible representation of the progress of society and how modern architecture is falling away from natural forms to strong, straight edges of present day architecture. We can get a similar view if we rotate to the opposite side.

Skyscrapers were being built across the globe and modern architecture was a new statement of advancement, power, wealth, and technological superiority. These two very different formulated aspects of the sculpture are expressive of a molding of modern architecture and traditional/religious architecture in India and how they now coincide as a deeply symbolic, and profound representation of the time in which he made the work.

Anthony Caro studied at The Royal Academy Schools in London, England. An assistant to Henry Moore (an English artist and sculptor, emphasis in Modernism, Modern art). (1942-44). He linked his studies of art and history to his expression. Some of his work was considered ambiguous, maybe even unintentional, but this doesn’t disassociate its importance as a statement of some underlying meanings we can observe.

We can now move our perspective to the back side of the sculpture (if there is such a thing). Let us notice how the dimensionality of the sculpture creates depth which bring differentiation of color due to shadows. He was known for use of bright colors, which were not used directly in India, the steel can still be seen in many hues, and even on a rainy day, the steel seems to glow with its reddish color and dark weather stains.

We can easily appreciate his legacy years after his death and the importance of his work for many abstract expressionist works of the future.