Land art 1

Land art

Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson from atop Rozel Point, in mid-April 2005

Land art, Earthworks (coined byRobert Smithson), or Earth art is anart movement which emerged in theUnited States in the late 1960s andearly 1970s, in which landscape andthe work of art are inextricably linked.It is also an art form that is created innature, using natural materials such assoil, rock (bed rock, boulders, stones),organic media (logs, branches, leaves),and water with introduced materialssuch as concrete, metal, asphalt,mineral pigments. Sculptures are notplaced in the landscape, rather, thelandscape is the means of their creation. Often earth moving equipment is involved. The works frequently exist inthe open, located well away from civilization, left to change and erode under natural conditions. Many of the firstworks, created in the deserts of Nevada, New Mexico, Utah or Arizona were ephemeral in nature and now only existas video recordings or photographic documents.

History

Museum paper board left on the bank of the river for 4days. By Jacek Tylicki, S.W. of Lund, Sweden, 473 X

354 mm.

Land art is to be understood as an artistic protest against theperceived artificiality, plastic aesthetics and ruthlesscommercialization of art at the end of the 1960s in America.Exponents of land art rejected the museum or gallery as the settingof artistic activity and developed monumental landscape projectswhich were beyond the reach of traditional transportable sculptureand the commercial art market. Land art was inspired by minimalart and Conceptual art but also by modern and minimalmovements such as De Stijl, cubism, minimalism and the work ofConstantin Brâncuşi and Joseph Beuys. Many of the artistsassociated with land art had been involved with minimal art andconceptual art. Isamu Noguchi's 1941 design for ContouredPlayground in New York is sometimes interpreted as an important

early piece of land art even though the artist himself never called his work "land art" but simply "sculpture". Hisinfluence on contemporary land art, landscape architecture and environmental sculpture is evident in many workstoday.

Alan Sonfist is a pioneer of an alternative approach to working with nature and culture that he began in 1965 bybringing historical nature and sustainable art back into New York City. His most inspirational work is TimeLandscape an indigenous forest he planted in New York City. He also created several other Time Landscapes aroundthe world such as Circles of Time in Florence Italy documenting the historical usage of the land. According to criticBarbara Rose, writing in Artforum in 1969, she had become disillusioned with the commodification and insularity of

Land art 2

gallery bound art. In 1967, the art critic Grace Glueck writing in the New York Times declared the first earthworkwas done by Douglas Leichter and Richard Saba at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. The suddenappearance of land art in 1968 can be located as a response by a generation of artists mostly in their late twenties tothe heightened political activism of the year and the emerging environmental and women's liberation movements.The movement began in October 1968 with the group exhibition "Earth Works"[1] at the Dwan Gallery in NewYork. In February 1969, Willoughby Sharp curated the "Earth Art" exhibition at the Andrew Dickson WhiteMuseum of Art at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. The artists included were Walter De Maria, Jan Dibbets,Hans Haacke, Michael Heizer, Neil Jenney, Richard Long, David Medalla, Robert Morris, Dennis Oppenheim,Robert Smithson, and Gunther Uecker. The exhibition was directed by Thomas W. Leavitt. Gordon Matta-Clark,who lived in Ithaca at the time, was invited by Sharp to help the artists in "Earth Art" with the on-site execution oftheir works for the exhibition.

Bunjil geoglyph at the You Yangs, Lara, Australia, by Andrew Rogers. Thecreature has a wing span of 100 metres and a 1500 tonnes of rock was used to

construct it.

Satellite view of Roden Crater, the site of an earthwork in progress by JamesTurrell, outside Flagstaff, Arizona.

Perhaps the best known artist who workedin this genre was the American RobertSmithson whose 1968 essay "TheSedimentation of the Mind: Earth Projects"provided a critical framework for themovement as a reaction to thedisengagement of Modernism from socialissues as represented by the critic ClementGreenberg. His best known piece, andprobably the most famous piece of all landart, is the Spiral Jetty (1970), for whichSmithson arranged rock, earth and algae soas to form a long (1500 ft) spiral-shape jettyprotruding into Great Salt Lake in northernUtah, U.S.. How much of the work, if any,is visible is dependent on the fluctuatingwater levels. Since its creation, the work hasbeen completely covered, and thenuncovered again, by water. Smithson'sGravel Mirror with Cracks and Dust (1968)is an example of land art existing in agallery space rather than in the naturalenvironment. It consists of a pile of gravelby the side of a partially mirrored gallerywall. In its simplicity of form andconcentration on the materials themselves,this and other pieces of land art have anaffinity with minimalism. There is also arelationship to Arte Povera in the use ofmaterials traditionally considered"unartistic" or "worthless".

'Land Artists' have tended to be American, with other prominent artists in this field including, Carl Andre, AliceAycock, Walter De Maria, Hans Haacke, Michael Heizer, Nancy Holt, Dennis Oppenheim, Andrew Rogers, Robert

Smithson, Alan Sonfist, and James Turrell. Turrell began work in 1972 on possibly the largest piece of land art thus far, reshaping the earth surrounding the extinct Roden Crater volcano in Arizona. Perhaps the most prominent

Land art 3

non-American land artists are the British Chris Drury, Andy Goldsworthy, Richard Long and the Australian AndrewRogers.[2]

Some projects by the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude (who are famous for wrapping monuments, buildings andlandscapes in fabric) have also been considered land art by some, though the artists themselves consider thisincorrect.[3] Joseph Beuys' concept of 'social sculpture' influenced 'Land art' and his '7000 Eichen' project of 1972 toplant 7000 Oak trees has many similarities to 'Land art' processes. Rogers' “Rhythms of Life” project is the largestcontemporary land-art undertaking in the world, forming a chain of stone sculptures, or geoglyphs, around the globe– 12 sites – in disparate exotic locations (from below sea level and up to altitudes of 4,300 m/14,107 ft). Up to threegeoglyphs (ranging in size up to 40,000 sq m/430,560 sq ft) are located in each site.Land artists in America relied mostly on wealthy patrons and private foundations to fund their often costly projects.With the sudden economic down turn of the mid 1970s funds from these sources largely stopped. With the death ofRobert Smithson in a plane crash in 1973 the movement lost one of its most important figureheads and faded out.James Turrell continues to work on the Roden Crater project. In most respects 'Land Art' has become part ofmainstream public art and in many cases the term "Land Art" is misused to label any kind of art in nature eventhough conceptually not related to the avant-garde works by the pioneers of Land Art.Land Art can be found in virtually every country in Europe and America. In Africa it's a growing form of art withStrijdom van der Merwe [4] from South Africa in the forefront. One of the Land Art in South Africa objects groundedin ancient history is 'Mama Africa' which is part of a privately owned botanical garden near Robertson in theWestern Cape. This man made Earthwork is 3 metres high, 16 metres long and 7 metres wide.

Contemporary land artists

Michael Heizer, a complex in City (1999)Eberhard Bosslet, side effect X, Tias, Lanzarote,

(2008)

• Vito Acconci • Richard Long• Betty Beaumont • David Nash• Milton Becerra • Georgia Papageorge• Eberhard Bosslet • Beverly Pepper• Mel Chin • Andrew Rogers• Christo and Jeanne Claude • Robert Smithson• Walter De Maria • Alan Sonfist• Jan Dibbets • James Turrell• Lucien den Arend • Nils Udo• Agnes Denes • Bill Vazan• Jim Denevan • Seth Wulsin• Harvey Fite • Vik Muniz• Andy Goldsworthy• Michael Heizer• Nancy Holt

Land art 4

• Junichi Kakizaki• Maya Lin

References

Notes[1] Leftmatrix (http:/ / www. leftmatrix. com/ earthworks. html) Retrieved February 8, 2011[2] Monumental Land Art of the United States (http:/ / www. daringdesigns. com/ earthworks. htm) Retrieved August 27, 2010[3] "Common Errors" (http:/ / christojeanneclaude. net/ errors. html). Christojeanneclaude.net. . Retrieved 2008-11-07.[4] http:/ / www. strijdom. co. za

Further reading• Lawrence Alloway, Wolfgang Becker, Robert Rosenblum et al., Alan Sonfist, Nature: The End of Art, Gli

Ori,Dist. Thames & Hudson Florence, Italy,2004 ISBN 0-615-12533-6• Max Andrews (Ed.): Land, Art: A Cultural Ecology Handbook. London 2006 ISBN 978-0-901469-57-1• John Beardsley: Earthworks and Beyond. Contemporary Art in the Landscape. New York 1998 ISBN

0-7892-0296-4• Suzaan Boettger, Earthworks: Art and the Landscape of the Sixties. University of California Press 2002. ISBN

0-520-24116-9• Amy Dempsey: Destination Art. Berkeley CA 2006 ISBN 13-978-0-520-25025-3• Michel Draguet, Nils-Udo, Bob Verschueren, Bruseels: Atelier 340, 1992• Jack Flam (Ed.). Robert Smithson: The Collected Writings, Berkeley CA 1996 ISBN 0-520-20385-2• John K. Grande: New York, London. Balance: Art and Nature, Black Rose Books, 1994, 2003 ISBN

1-55164-234-4• Eleanor Heartney, Andrew Rogers Geoglyphs, Rhythms of Life, Edizioni Charta srl, Italy, 2009 ISBN

978-88-8158-712-4• Robert Hobbs, Robert Smithson: A Retrospective View, Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg / Herbert F.

Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University,• Jeffrey Kastner, Brian Wallis: Land and Environmental Art. Boston 1998 ISBN 0-7148-4519-1• Lucy R Lippard: Overlay: Contemporary Art and the Art of Prehistory. New York 1983 ISBN 0-394-54812-8• Udo Weilacher: Between Landscape Architecture and Land Art. Basel Berlin Boston 1999 ISBN 3-7643-6119-0• Edward Lucie-Smith (Intro) and John K. Grande: Art Nature Dialogues: Interviews with Environmental Artists,

New York 2004 ISBN 0-7914-6914-7• David Peat & Edward Lucie-Smith (Introduction & forward) Dialogues in Diversity, Italy: Pari Publishing, 2007,

ISBN 978-88-901960-7-2• Chris Taylor and Bill Gilbert. Land Arts of the American West. Austin: University of Texas Press; 2009. ISBN

9780292716728• Gilles A. Tiberghien: Land Art. Ed. Carré 1993

Land art 5

External links• Monumental Land Art of the United States. (http:/ / www. daringdesigns. com/ earthworks. htm)• EarthArtists.org - listings of Earth, Land, and Eco-artists. (http:/ / www. earthartists. org/ )• Alan Sonfist Official Website (http:/ / www. alansonfist. com/ )• Artist in Nature International Network (http:/ / www. artinnature. org/ formeE. html)• Denarend.com - About land art (http:/ / denarend. com/ land_art/ )• Land Arts of the American West (http:/ / www. landarts. org/ )• Official UNM Land Arts of the American West Program Website (http:/ / landarts. unm. edu/ )• Land & Environmental Artists & Art (http:/ / the-artists. org/ MovementView.

cfm?id=3E8DA10D-FCCE-4975-A80DA11B65BC4257)• Australian land arts (http:/ / www. land-arts. com/ )• Roden Crater by James Turrell (http:/ / www. lasersol. com/ art/ turrell/ roden_crater. html)• Jacek Tylicki Land & Environmental Art projects (http:/ / www. tylicki. com/ )• - Land Art project in South Africa (http:/ / soekershofwalkabout. blogspot. com/ 2008/ 12/

giant-south-african-earthwork-taking. html)• (French) Portail du Land Art (http:/ / www. landarts. fr/ )• (German) Using Land art as a form of advertising (http:/ / www. artfield. de/ landartfield. html)

Article Sources and Contributors 6

Article Sources and ContributorsLand art  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=419645867  Contributors: -Midorihana-, ARUNKUMAR P.R, Aboriginal historian, Agentdvr, Alan Liefting, Alansohn,AlexWangombe, Andre Engels, Andyo2000, Arakunem, Art&concepts, Artuserfirst, Asonfist, Atravisscorry, Avoided, Aymatth2, Bakema, Barkeep, Baronnet, Bertscharf, Beyond My Ken,Blodulv, Bluedillygal, Bm gub, Branddobbe, Burntsauce, C dog taylor, CALR, Caltas, Camembert, Chanting Fox, Chick Bowen, Chris 73, Cometstyles, DVD R W, DaleDale, Dedonite, Dgorog,Doubleyou em, EagleFan, Ecoartnet, Edison, Enki H., FanfareShavale, Freshacconci, FriedMilk, Friedco, Gaius Cornelius, Geoglyphs09, Gilliam, Hadal, Hidemyassa, Hu12, Hyacinth,Ianmcairns, Idadv, IsaLandarts, J.A.McCoy, Jason7825, Jevansen, Jmarob, Johnkgrande, JonathanDP81, JorgeGG, Jossiejojo, Kaveh, Kcufing tater Fuck, Kharoon, Kidam, Laprune,Lapskingwiki, Levg, Look2See1, Lovage, Lusitana, MADEandCO, Maget.maget, Mandarax, Marc Vanneste, MarylandArtLover, Materialscientist, Mattis, Meteor2017, MikoValentine, Mintrick,Missachten, Modernist, Montrealais, Motocon, Nancarrow1, Naturalculturalinc, Nograffiti, Numbo3, OObsart, OlEnglish, Oliver Crow, Onionmon, Outriggr, Pacific PanDeist, Paraleto, PaulAugust, Peachlaser, Petropoxy (Lithoderm Proxy), Phoe, Piersmasterson, Pontoevirgula, Psmith99, Pustelnik, Quase, Quercusrobur, Quiddity, Quill, RedWolf, Rich Farmbrough, Richard B.Cathcart, Rtcandel, S.dedalus, ScottDavis, Securiger, Septegram, Shadowjams, SimonArlott, Snalwibma, Sophus Bie, Sparkit, Spillestu, Spinster, Teapotgeorge, Teladrin, TheMindsEye,Unyoyega, Vansp, Wildland4, Wknight94, Woohookitty, Yintan, Ziff Davis, Zikiodotte, Zwalrus, 197 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsImage:Spiral-jetty-from-rozel-point.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Spiral-jetty-from-rozel-point.png  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0 Contributors: Soren.harward at en.wikipediaImage:Tylicki Natural Art 506.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Tylicki_Natural_Art_506.jpg  License: GNU Free Documentation License  Contributors:User:TylickiImage:You Yangs Bunjil geoglyph crop.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:You_Yangs_Bunjil_geoglyph_crop.JPG  License: Creative CommonsAttribution-Sharealike 2.5  Contributors: User:Beyond My KenImage:Roden.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Roden.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: DVD R W, GerardusImage:City Art.PNG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:City_Art.PNG  License: unknown  Contributors: Chase me ladies, I'm the Cavalry, ModernistFile:Eberhard Bosslet Intervention Begleiterscheinung XI Era Lanzarote 2008.jpg  Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Eberhard_Bosslet_Intervention_Begleiterscheinung_XI_Era_Lanzarote_2008.jpg  License: GNU Free Documentation License  Contributors:User:Bossletpublicart

LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unportedhttp:/ / creativecommons. org/ licenses/ by-sa/ 3. 0/