Wall 1968

Here is a sculpture by Adolph Gottlieb, made with painted aluminum. I can imagine Gottlieb in his studio, carefully cutting and welding these metal shapes. The bright yellow circle sitting atop the wall is like a sun, trying to burn through the atmosphere. There is a conversation happening between the circular shapes, which Gottlieb painted a deep black. The orange wall almost looks like teeth, or a machine. It has a powerful, primal quality, like the symbols of his earlier pictograph paintings brought into three dimensions. I can almost hear the metal clang as it was made. It's like he wanted to see what would happen if his paintings became architecture. Artists are always talking to each other, across time. Gottlieb was definitely listening to the language of Picasso and Miro. We too bring our experiences to art, making it new each time we look.