Page 40 - Studio International - February 1973

inspired metaphorical one: it is an altogether self-contained 'framed' fixes onto the sculpture. step at one side, and the tall trapezoid above it,
beautiful metaphor of access — of invitation and The sculpture, presenting itself within such balance the plane, drawing off its weight.
mediation to the surfaces it holds to view. views, particularizes the fragmented nature of Baffling at first, it presents its surfaceness just as
Appearing previously in Grant, and having its perception itself. Smith's Zig IV was a radical much as does Straight Up, though in a far
origins, I suppose, in the way Midday was enough reformulation of the relief idea ;6 but this quieter way. A marvellously rich sculpture —
terminated at its lower end back in 196o, it is a unassuming small sculpture of Caro's is a fuller probably than any of the others — it
kind of pictorial Sprecher which introduces us, breathtaking conceit of sheer inventiveness and surrounds its plane with what is in effect a series
in different ways, to our views of the work. In imagination. of glosses on the properties of planarity. Of all
most of the sculptures it carries us into the Straight Measure, a companion relief-like the series, this best shows just how far Caro
build-up of struts that support the central plane. work, hides even more of its incident behind can take a sturdy physicality into his art —
Sometimes, however, it leads to unexpected the facing plane.7It seems somewhat less giving to it a direct and solemn authority —
places : mediating a diagonal access to the successful, however, for the plane — being tilted while continuing to make physical situations
rearside of Straight Measure, carrying right up further backwards — can appear too much the top assuredly aesthetic.
the side of Straight Left and — accentuated in surface of a low squat enclosure. Straight Left, This in itself is nothing new to Caro's art. 'I
colour against the bare steel of Straight Up — in contrast (a version of Straight On turned don't necessarily want to call attention all the
pulling our eyes to the top of the backward view. sideways), actually drops the plane vertically time to sculpture's physicality,' he has said, 'but
These three sculptures relate less obviously onto the ground and zigzags beams through to I am forced to take these qualities into account,
to the series as a whole. Imagine Straight Cut both sides of the triangular hole. Here, more just as the painter cannot ignore the qualities of
tipped sideways, lifting the pierced plane up candidly than in any other work, surface — being his medium.'8 The sculptures of this new series
from the ground and resting the sculpture on the suspended within the very centre of the pictorial in their surfaces, natural in their use
bottom of its crossed beams, and how Straight sculpture — can equally be approached from all of materials, 'cropped' from one work to the
Up was created becomes clearer. Viewed of its four sides. Four sides, because the narrow next, as live and careful as ever in their details —
towards the plane, it is the most relief-like of any ends of the plane are set off as well as its surfaces. all speak, in their different ways, of an
of the pieces; with the proviso that, unlike a Straight Run, the large wall-like piece, engagement with the very broadest attributes
relief, the plane conceals most of the pictorial benefited from the absence of beams around its open to the medium of sculpture. q
incident instead of presenting it. Viewed this central plane — making Straight Flush, the other
way (and from the back as well) it gives only an large sculpture, look rather too busy and heavy 'For this and other procedural information, and for
indication of what its surface contains. It is (too propped up, perhaps, like the cards its title kindly showing me the three works of the series not
publicly exhibited, my thanks are due to the
almost as if surface itself — in its flatness, shape implies). This is not only a matter of clarity, sculptor.
and interior detail — were isolated; and floated but of felt weight. In Straight Run, surface 'See Darby Bannard's review of the 1970-71 work
through the sculpture's body, subsuming all seems self-supporting. Its economy rebounds on shown in New York last year: Artforum, June
1972, pp. 59-64.
physical masses to a set of careful inflexions the companion work. Straight Left, however, is 'Priming paint has been used on all these pieces, but
that exist to hold up surface to our view. The small and heavy. At 61 inches high it is not all are worked as surfaces and do not seem 'coloured'
in the way that uniformly painted work does.
full implications that surface possesses are not actually the smallest of the series, but being so 'See Caro's own comments on this distinction:
made available from any one view. Each is firmly set upon the ground it seems the smallest. Artforum, June 1972, p. 56.
incomplete; though each in itself — as a view — The spreadeagle beams anchor it down; and 'The rod was originally included as a prop while the
is complete. The enforced specificity of views I especially from the view showing a long sculpture was being worked. Caro told the author
that its effect evokes for him not Cubism but the
mentioned earlier creates a set of discrete and U-shaped girder at ground level it looks solid, relation of staff and body in Donatello's work.
squat and sturdy. At first, its very lowness seems 'See Rosalind Krauss's analysis of this work — and her
(Left) a problem; as if it needed lightening by being general comments on surface in sculpture — in
Straight Measure 1972 Terminal Iron Works, Cambridge, Mass., 1971,
simpler, in the same way as Straight Run. And pp. 12 ff.
49 1/2 X 75 X 59 in.
yet, the same arm-like beams that it rests on also 'Cherry Fair of 1971, in Caro's last New York show,
(Right) forms a precedent for the kind of behind-plane
Straight Cut 1972 press it up from the ground. The central plane closure of Straight Measure and Straight Up.
52 62 51 in. rests on the edge of the U-shaped girder. The 'Artforum, June 5972, p. 56.

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