Purchased with funds contributed by the photography committee and with funds. His work has been internationally exhibited in galleries and museums and is held in public collections including the museum of modern art, new york, the smithsonian american art museum, solomon r. Nonintervention for the artistic concept anna toptchi spiral jetty is a work conceived and installed by robert smithson in 1970. We cant save smithsons spiral jetty, and it would be. Robert smithsons spiral jetty everything you need to know. Earthwork in the great salt lake, utah, as seen from the 1,600 pound ikonos satellite, 423 miles up in space.
The film was shot by smithson and his wife nancy holt, and funded by virgina dawn and douglas christmas. On the day of our visit, we were extremely lucky the sun shone. Robert smithsons iconic earthwork spiral jetty 1970 is a 1,500 foot long and 15 foot wide coil of local basalt rock and earth that extends into the red waters of the great salt lake in utah. In a 1972 interview, smithson suggests that spiral jetty was intended to both withstand and be intimately involved with the climate changes and natural disturbances of the site, particularly the lake.
Spiral jetty is an earthwork sculpture constructed in april 1970 that is considered to be the most important work of american sculptor robert smithson. Smithson and is located off rozel point in the north arm of great salt lake. Robert smithsons toxic tour of passaic, new jersey. In that context the recent debate over whether direct action should be taken to protect robert smithsons spiral jetty, perhaps the quintessential work of postwar american land art, seems rather like a throwback to the old days. Spiral jetty is one of the most wellknown earthwork sculptures, as well as the most famous and influential work by sculptor robert smithson. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. Earthworks spiral jetty is state artwork of utah the spiral is a universal image spiral jetty made with dump trucks and bulldozers. The fact that it is endemic drought that threatens the great salt lake in utah, home to smithsons beautiful. Robert smithson, yucatan mirror displacements 19 1969 detail, nine chromogenic prints from original 126 format slides, each image 61 x 61 cm, the solomon r. Media in category spiral jetty the following files are in this category, out of total. The source of robert smithsons spiral the new yorker. Wikipedia entry introduction robert smithson january 2, 1938 july 20, 1973 was an american artist known for sculpture and land art who often used drawing and photography in relation to the spatial arts. Robert smithson spiral jetty, 1970 robert smithsons spiral jetty, located at rozel point on the northeastern shore of great salt lake in utah, is one of the most remarkable examples of land art. Robert smithson was a seminal american artist and writer known for pioneering the land art movement.
Jetty, located at rozel point peninsula on the northeastern shore of great salt. In smithsons 1972 essay, the spiral jetty, he explains his first impression of the area where he created one of his best earthwork projects. That smithson chose to evoke williamss table in an essay on the spiral jetty implicitly equating the nineteenth and twentiethcentury desert with the nineteenth and twentiethcentury suburb suggests just how dedicated he was to creating a toxic discourse able to intervene in the still evolving history of american landscape. Works spiral jetty, 1970 patrons virginia dwan robert smithson from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia robert smithson january 2, 1938 july 20, 1973 was an american artist famous for his use of photography in relation to sculpture and land art. His monumental earthen sculptures such as spiral jetty 1970, were inspired by the minimalist work of his contemporaries, as well as geology, science fiction, and the concept of entropy. If it is not covered in water, it would be a crime not to walk the gentle spiral to its center. He began with a photograph of a specific sitethe bingham copper mining pit in utahand then superimposed his drawing on it by placing a transparent plastic overlay on the. Spiral jetty, robert smithson the monumental earthwork spiral jetty 1970 was created by artist robert smithson and is located off rozel point in the north arm of great salt lake. Pdf robert smithsons spiral jetty hikmet loe academia. The road will curve north and ends at a parking lot directly next to spiral jetty.
Pdf robert smithsons spiral jetty nathaniel rosenthalis. Robert smithson, spiral jetty, 1970 great salt lake, utah. People have been wanting to destroy the project and putting the land on which it lies into a different use. Spiral jetty by george baker, bob phillips, ann reynolds, lytle shaw, robert smithson, diana thater for online ebook.
Born in rutherford, new jersey, robert smithson was entranced by natureearth and animal formsas a child. In a career tragically cut short at age 35 while working on a sculpture, robert smithson revolutionized contemporary art through works that question issues of permanence, materials, function and presentation. In 1959, robert smithson, a young abstract painter who would eventually become known as. The film documents the making of this earthwork, which has attained nearmythic status as it has disappeared and then reemerged from the lake over the past decades. As a public health precaution due to covid19 coronavirus, all smithsonian museums are closed temporarily and all public programs, events, and tours are canceled through june 1. Pdf spiral jetty 1970, robert smithsons seminal earthwork, is a 460 meter long and 4. Smithson built a masterpiece from local materials, one that spirals counterclockwise into the lake and appears or is submerged with fluctuations in the lakes locally red. In 1970 during the construction of the jetty, robert smithson wrote and directed a 32minute color film, spiral jetty. Seen from above, robert smithsons spiral jetty emerges dramatically from the rocky shores of utahs great salt. Eugenie tsai provides a curatorial overview of the exhibition.
Made of black basalt rocks and earth gathered from the site, spiral jetty is a 15footwide coil. Visiting the jetty almost feels like a pilgrimage of sorts. Spiral jetty robert smithson, 1970 for utah state magazine duration. Robert smithson spiral jetty, 1970 one of the most remarkable examples of land art is robert smithson s spiral jetty, located at rozel point peninsula on the northeastern shore of great salt lake. Robert smithson spiral jetty, 1970 one of the most remarkable examples of land art is robert smithsons spiral jetty, located at rozel point peninsula on the northeastern shore of great salt lake. Robert smithson combined drawing with photography in bingham copper mining pitutah reclamation project 1973. Spiral jetty day for science teachers the utah museum of fine arts. Invite her to sprinkle the sand mixture all over the. In 1970 he created spiral jetty, a snaillike coil of heaped stones that extends far out into the great salt lake in. An earthwork sculpture built by robert smithson in the great salt lake only reemerges during drought. Robert smithsons spiral jetty, located at rozel point on the northeastern shore of great salt lake in utah, is one of the most remarkable examples of land art. The mythic scale of history and labor at spiral jetty.
I bound out of bed, gianfranco gorgonis seminal photogaph of robert smithsons iconic earth. Robert smithson spiral jetty, 1970 robert smithsons spiral jetty. In 1970, assisted by a crew operating dump trucks, a tractor, and a front loader. Spiral jetty, robert smithsons land art masterwork the. Smithsons spiral jetty is an everchanging work of land art. Robert smithson, the spiral jetty 1970 all photos by author for hyperallergic. Now get out that blue paper back, place a couple of sheets of newspaper underneath, and encourage your child to dip her big brush in that glue water and paint a big spiral on her paper, just like robert smithsons spiral jetty. In addition, smithson made numerous preparatory drawings, a. If anything, earthworks such as the spiral jetty and essays such as frederick law olmsted and the dialectical landscape have only added to his importance over the years. A work like spiral jetty for example when this includes the lm and essay as well as the. With the assistance of a team operating dump trucks, a front loader, and. Robert smithson is one of the most enigmatic artists of the late 20th century. Terrains of knowledge visited robert smithsons spiral jetty on utahs great salt lake. Smithson documented the construction of the sculpture in a 32minute color film also titled spiral jetty built on the northeastern shore of the great salt lake near rozel point in utah entirely of mud, salt crystals, and basalt rocks, spiral.
The estate of robert smithsonvg bildkunst, bonn 20. Gabriella davis 41818 robert smithson, the spiral jetty robert smithsons, spiral jetty, is an example of land art, also known as earthwork art. No land artist of the 1960s was more influential at the time than robert smithson. Robert smithsons earthwork, spiral jetty 1970, an icon of the land art movement of the 1960s and 1970s, is located on the northern shores of utahs great salt lake. Robert smithson spiral jetty, 1970 robert smithson s spiral jetty, located at rozel point on the northeastern shore of great salt lake in utah, is one of the most remarkable examples of land art. One of the reasons smithson still seems so relevant is that his work responded so directly to a nostalgic trend that arose in both. The end of the road marks the parking area for the spiral jetty, with the jetty prominent a short distance away. Completed in april 1970, spiral jetty is an iconic earthwork and smithsons most renowned piece. Robert smithson january 2, 1938 july 20, 1973 was an american artist known for sculpture and land art who often used drawing and photography in relation to the spatial arts. Perhaps most renowned as the creator of spiral jetty 1970, a fifteenhundredfoot rock coil dramatically situated in the great salt lake, smithson also broke new ground with his films, photographs, writing, drawings, and collages. Made of black basalt rocks and earth gathered from the site, spiral jetty is a 15footwide coil that stretches more than 1,500 feet into the lake.
Spiral jetty is a portrait of smithsons monumental earthwork of the same name at rozel point in the great salt lake, utah. Shortly after the spiral jetty was constructed in 1970, it has faced different challenges. Robert smithson, spiral jetty, 1970, rozel point, great salt lake, utah, 1500 if unwound x 15 foot spiral of basalt, sand, and soil, holt smithson foundation speakers. On the north edge of the great salt lake, robert smithsons masterpiece sits peacefully, awaiting visitors willing to make the long trek to see one of the. The monumental earthwork spiral jetty 1970 was created by artist robert smithson and is located off rozel point in the north arm of great salt lake. It is combination of rocks and earth that was hauled by truck from the shore and arranged into the form of a coil in the water off of. Artist on artist lecture trevor paglen on robert smithson duration. Figures rise in a spiral, and the sculpture changes as the viewer moves around it. The spiral jetty earthwork sculpture located in rozel bay, great salt lake, utah. The spiral jetty is an earthwork sculpture by the late robert smithson. Show off your favorite photos and videos to the world, securely and privately show content to your friends and family, or blog the photos and videos you take with a cameraphone. Originally depicting the first jetty, the sketch was modified to show the bulb being extended into the final spiral shape. Robert smithsons spiral jetty by hikmet sidney loe salt lake city public library worksofart by robert smithson are estate of robert.
One of the most remarkable examples of land art is robert smithsons spiral. The strata of the earth is a jumbled museum, he once mused. You will see the north arm of great salt lake and an old oil jetty not spiral jetty left by old drilling explorations. Robert smithson s iconic earthwork spiral jetty 1970 is a 1,500 foot long and 15 foot wide coil of local basalt rock and earth that extends into the red waters of the great salt lake in utah. Spiral jetty by george baker, bob phillips, ann reynolds, lytle shaw, robert smithson, diana thater free pdf d0wnl0ad, audio books, books to read, good books to read, cheap books, good books. Robert smithson, spiral jetty, 1970, rozel point, great salt lake, utah, 1500 if unwound x 15 foot spiral of basalt, sand, and soil holtsmithson foundation speakers.
1571 359 697 1206 1177 619 691 574 334 1124 684 660 1517 756 646 1508 1335 104 487 1293 461 596 498 1157 238 163 1169 1162 1513 301 457 1216 462 905 1136 854 1552 795 331 438 360 615 448 1439