Saw Horse Piece 1967

Gary Kuehn's 'Saw Horse Piece' presents us with a startlingly simple configuration: a yellow beam supported by two wooden saw horses. This setup, primarily functional, echoes the primal need for support. The saw horse itself, an emblem of labor and craftsmanship, stretches back to antiquity. Consider the workbench depicted in medieval altarpieces, where artisans fashion sacred objects. The saw horse is the silent assistant in acts of creation, the foundation upon which ideas take shape. The color yellow, too, vibrates with historical significance. Often linked to the sun—a life-giver, but also a symbol of decay, as it is the color of blight and disease. Observe how, across cultures, the emotions associated with yellow oscillate between hope and caution, mirroring our own complex relationship with the world. Kuehn’s configuration thus becomes a stage, a site where the mundane meets the symbolic. It’s a reminder that even in the simplest forms, history and human emotion intertwine, inviting us to reflect on the very foundations upon which we build our lives.