Mindseye – Mark di Suvero

Mindseye surprisingly has very little information about the artist’s intention. Whether purposeful or not, Mark Di Suvero leads the viewer into questioning what the intended purpose or interpretation was meant to be. When a viewer is previously given the artist’s intent in some way it corrupts how they view the piece. Though this is not necessarily a negative as it is often important for the art to be seen as it is intended to, by leaving out this information the audience is allowed to create their own interpretation. Without guidance, people often rely on past experiences, personal beliefs, and other information to create their own purpose for the art, even if it’s not their own. In a sense, Mindseye doesn’t have a single purpose but now thousands, maybe even millions attributed by every individual that has laid eyes on it.

“When I first saw Mindseye it struck how even though this piece is smaller than the other sculpture, For Handel, from Mark di Suvero, to me it is much more thought provoking. The outer circle reminds me of the face of a clock, ticking away time, but the inner structure to me represent the complexity of the mind. Confusion, was the first word that came to me. The interlocking shapes morph together intangibly from angles making them sculpture itself confuse the mind. I connected to how people view and interpret art. Every aspect of the sculpture can be changed according to the angle the someone may be looking at it from. Just as people understand and connect to art based on their own experiences. Even the title of the piece “Mindseye” can interpreted to show how everyone’s mind can change what they see, their perception. Each interlocking shape of the sculpture represents a different part of the mind that affects the world that you see. The eyes for a literal version of sight then the abstract shapes to represent the memories, opinions, and knowledge that forms how they sight is colored and warped. The location of the sculpture also leads me to believe that the sculpture is also meant to show the importance and power of knowledge. Due to its proximity to library it is easy the discern what that location played a role into the intended purpose of the piece. What I find so interesting about the sculpture is that, from where I stand, it represents different perceptions, though I could also view it that way due to my own.”

-Amanda Kartes

“In 1960, di Suvero suffered a horrible accident involving an elevator and was severely injured and almost killed. It took him four years to fully recover and during that period he was confined to a wheelchair. During that period since he could not make large sculptures, he made small sculptures using metal scraps. Although it was made a few years after his recovery (1978), I believe Mindseye’s inspiration came from this recovery period where he learned to appreciate small sculpture. I also believe inspiration for Mindseye came from the fact that he was confined to a wheelchair. Mindseye is extremely detailed from almost every point of view and 3D plane. It’s center of focus is an eye which is surrounded by all of this complexity. I believe this represents how much complexity there is out int he world that we either do not see because we are to busy or simply choose not to see. I believe when di Suvero was confined to a wheelchair he noticed more of these complexities because of his inabilities.”

– Ben Lorimore

“I hope to make the space come alive. There’s a time when a piece of sculpture stands up, becomes itself and there’s no way to describe what I feel like—it’s poetry.”

-Mark di Suvero, John Berggruen Gallery, 1983

Conclusion

Mindseye by Mark Di Suvero is a beautiful sculpture with many different interpretations. To some it can represent multiple perspectives, the clarity that comes from confinement, or the living. The piece demonstrates that even without a full story art can create one through each individual. Even a sculpture with the littlest information provided to the viewer can create a thought provoking experience by triggering the imagination and creativity of the audience.