Key Member 1967

Richard Artschwager made 'Key Member,' which looks like a wood-grained formica sculpture, jutting from the wall. I find myself wondering about its making. Did he use templates? How did he achieve the subtle shifts in tone and the swirling patterns? It's like a dance between control and chance. The surface is smooth, but the faux-wood design gives it a tactile quality. The earthy tones—burnt umber, sienna—create a warm, grounding presence. Look at the bottom edge where the light catches it, see how the artist plays with shadow and highlights to trick our eye? The overall effect is both familiar and strange, like a household object in an alternate reality. Artschwager’s work reminds me a bit of early Roy Lichtenstein, but instead of comic book Ben-Day dots he’s using furniture as his readymade source material. Like all great art, ‘Key Member’ invites us to question our perceptions and embrace ambiguity.