#Spiral jetty plus
#Spiral jetty series

#Spiral jetty series

One of them compared Smithson’s Spiral Jetty to Monet’s Rouen Cathedral series which conveyed the same location at various times of day so that he could capture the specific lighting and other nuances of a particular moment. We found our way up to a piece of land overlooking the jetty and sat down on the rocks to enjoy our sandwiches and “debate” Smithson’s intentions and ethical issues in conserving the work with several scholars. From a distance the water had appeared a brilliant blue, but as we neared, gradations of color began to appear-shades of blue, purple, pink, and red-a traveler’s mirage, of sorts, and undeniably picturesque. We then decided to make our way across the white blanket to the water’s edge, fighting off fears that the salt, which had the distinct characteristics of ice-would “break” and we would plunge into the Great Salt Lake below (which was a physical impossibility since the water wasn’t below). We walked about the Jetty with the sun hot upon our skin, the smell of the salt air filling our nose and lungs, and the feel of salt crystals on our fingers (having knelt to examine the minerals that carpeted the environ). Upon closer inspection, the “snow” was actually crystallized salt that brilliantly reflected the sun’s rays and the nearby water. Between the Jetty and the lake, there was a blanket of white-a picture-perfect postcard image of a quiet winter’s morn, and yet, the “snow” wasn’t melted by the sun blazing down from above so you could still go outside with your ski pants to get yourself protected from the cold. Yet another surprise, the water from the Great Salt Lake no longer permeated the rocks, but was a significant distance beyond.

That couldn’t possibly be it! Naturally the distance made the work appear smaller and it “grew” as we approached, but even as we stood perched on the rocks right above it, it seemed utterly dominated by the landscape. Smaller than expectedīut … it was so … so … so small. Nearly eight hours after my day had begun, it came into view.

#Spiral jetty plus

An hour at the airport, followed by an hour plus on the plane, then a two plus hour bus ride over the bumpiest “trail”-it certainly wasn’t a road!-imaginable, and ultimately a fifteen minute hike. How would the experience compare to the visions (particular to each person) we had all conjured up over the years? Would the jetty “deliver” the transformative experience we all sought? Or would it fall victim to a case of excessively high and unattainable expectations? Time would tell.īut, it would indeed take time. I meet the rest of my party at the gate at LAX and it’s immediately clear from the conversation that we’ve all arrived at this moment with decades of expectation accumulated. I bound out of bed, Gianfranco Gorgoni’s seminal photograph of Robert Smithson’s iconic earth work on repeat in my head as I shower and “pack” for the daylong adventure that will take me to a remote area of Utah. Robert Smithson, Spiral Jetty, 1970 (Great Salt Lake, Utah) (photo: Gianfranco Gorgoni) ©Holt-Smithson Foundation

Elena FitzPatrick Sifford on casta paintings Reframing Art History, a new kind of textbook.With 503 contributors from 201 colleges, universities, museums, and researchĬenters, Smarthistory is the most-visited art history resource in the world. We believe that the brilliant histories of art belong to everyone, no matter their background. At Smarthistory, the Center for Public Art History, we believe art has the power to transform lives and to build understanding across cultures.