Page 60 - Studio International - May 1968

Two sculptures by Robert Morris

Laurent Sauerwein

There's the obvious presence of a fixed rectangular Morris' work is certainly less 'self important', less governs both the room and the work: integration
and closed space—the room which contains us, egocentric, than past art and does not attract atten- and lack of focus. Within the work, Robert
with its four walls, a ceiling and a floor, in relation tion to itself as much as it invites participation of Morris eliminates gesture, expressivity or tension
to which we are moving, walking in this space, its immediate environment. The sculpture is al- which would assert themselves over the room.
strongly aware of our movements and scale, of cer- most 'invisible' despite its scale and opacity (one While it is not conceived in relation to any specific
tain precise distances that separate us from the of the pieces is actually translucent) ; it is com- setting, Morris' sculpture accepts the limits of the
walls and from another elusive but necessary pletely integrated with its surroundings. A peculi- indoor cubic environment and invariably relates
presence which shares this space with us. arity of this sculpture is that it neither asserts itself to it. It is this relationship with the basis of our
Of all the new American sculpture, Morris' work nor totally disappears in its spatial context, making cultural infrastructure which determines the effec-
represents the most radical and complex departure it difficult to speak of 'presence' in the conventional tiveness of the work.
from the European tradition. It offers an original sense. And yet, both sculptures shown recently Morris' work is impossible to manipulate: it is
and far-reaching alternative to the post-cubist at Ileana Sonnabend are unmistakably there, with not at that level that we are invited to participate.
trend in sculpture which prevails in Europe today their paradoxical reflexiveness and permeability— Instead, the essentially reflexive quality of this
and is best represented by the new English work a focusless and porous presence. sculpture involves us physically. One of the obvi-
(Caro, King... ). The same basic rectangular and stable structuring ously reflexive factors is scale. Both these pieces