Studies for Sackler Gallery Installation 2002

Curator: Mel Bochner’s “Studies for Sackler Gallery Installation,” residing here at the Harvard Art Museums, presents a stark doorway rendered in ink. Editor: It evokes a liminal space, doesn't it? The severe geometry and high contrast lend it a somber, almost theatrical air. Curator: Precisely. Note how the artist uses only line and value to construct depth, the converging lines creating forced perspective. The inscription indicates the windows are based on New York City architecture. Editor: The windows above the door certainly seem to be a miniaturized, almost domestic vision of urban life – a stage set above the threshold, perhaps representing aspirations or memories. Curator: Consider also the symbolism of the door itself—a barrier, an invitation, a transitional object laden with psychological weight. Editor: Indeed. Bochner’s sketch compels us to contemplate the spaces we inhabit and the narratives they hold, even in their most rudimentary form. Curator: A potent interplay between structure and symbolism.