Flesh and Stone: Barbara Hepworth’s “Merryn”

After a considerable “summer” hiatus, the Art Attack is back! We kick off the new season with a gorgeous piece by Barbara Hepworth. Hepworth is considered to have been one of the first truly abstract sculptors and the piece, entitled Merryn, is a great example of her work. But more importantly, this little sculpture has us all hot and bothered. Listen to the episode to find out why! You can visit Merryn in the flesh at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Our References:

Anish Kapoor

Andy Goldsworthy

Fertility Goddesses

Music by Hammurapi and Braids.

We Look at it So You Don’t Have To

In which a bird lands on a statue. Also, the Sarahs take one for the team, getting to the bottom of exactly why we are so “meh” about this sculpture by Marino Marini. (Or, in Sarah C’s Italian translation, Marino! Marini!) Listen to this episode so that the next time you see a sculpture you don’t like, you can ignore it with a clear conscience.

This, and lots of other very excellent art works, can be seen at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our References: Dada, Equestrian Statues, Etruscan Art

Music: Bliss by SaReGaMa

Sensory Overload: Nam June Paik’s Electronic Superhighway

In this episode, Sarah C and Sarah D visit Nam June Paik’s tribute to his adoptive home, Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii. You can get a lot more info about the piece at the Smithsonian American Art Museum website.

 

Music: Lord Pear by Lagos Disco Machine, and hhhhh6 by junior85

The Picture (of the Sculpture of the Photo) of Oscar Wilde

In this episode, we play a visual game of Telephone with photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto. His portrait of Oscar Wilde, at the Corcoran, is based on a Madame Tussaud’s sculpture, which in turn is based on a photograph of Wilde.

Music Credits: Tema Club Eden #2 by Selva de Mar.

 

A Racial Rorschach? Black Girl Dragging White Girl by Kim Dingle

In this episode, the Sarahs visit Kim Dingle’s Black Girl Dragging White Girl at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. The piece puts us ill at ease and incites some wild speculation. What do you think is happening in this painting? Submit your ideas via comment!

Music Credits: Llaves and Tema Club Eden by Selva de Mar.

Building a Bridge: Rudzani Nemasetoni’s Urban Testaments

In this episode, the Sarahs visit Rudzani Nemasetoni’s modern triptych Urban Testaments I, II and III at the Smithsonian’s African Art Museum. In this mixed media piece, the South African artist combines images of his father’s pass book, a remnant of Apartheid, with salvaged materials from demolished buildings in Harlem. What are the connections that Nemasetoni is asking us to draw by bringing these objects together?

For more on Nemasetoni, please visit the National Museum of African Art’s website.

Music Credits: Nort RV by Blear Moon

Listener’s Choice! Typewriter Eraser, Scale X

To kick off season two, we bring you our listener-selected piece from the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. The piece is Typewriter Eraser Scale X by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. This playful ode to a humble tool is a great representation of Pop Art.

The Decisive Moment: Henri Cartier-Bresson

This week, the Sarahs visit their first photograph! The piece is an intimate portrait of Henri Matisse, taken by Henri Cartier-Bresson in 1944. You can see it in person at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, at 7th and E Streets, NW.

Music Credits: Winter Sunshine by Evgeny Grinko and Longtime by Reman

“Modern Head” by Roy Lichtenstein

Modern Head, by Roy Lichtenstein, has had a fascinating journey. Originally located in downtown Manhattan, the vibrant piece became an operations hub for search and rescue teams in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center. Emerging from the attacks virtually unscathed, the sculpture now resides at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. In this episode, it sparks some disagreement between the Sarahs.

Music Credits: December 2012 by Nelson Jensted

For more information on Modern Head, please visit the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s website.

Jacques Lipchitz’s “Figure”

This episode, the Sarahs visit Jacques Lipchitz’s tribal-influenced sculpture, entitled simply “Figure.” This piece can be seen at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

Photo by Steve Loya

 

Music Credits: Urban Lullaby by SaReGaMa, Ruins of Bethel by SaReGaMa

For more information on “Figure” please visit the Hirshhorn’s website.