Sculptor and designer Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) brought philosophy and aesthetics to modern sculpture, and now around 80 of his works are available in the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum. The gallery emphasizes his innate sculpture talent, showcasing pieces Noguchi created with brass, terra cotta, bronze, stainless steel, wood, magnesite cement, black slate and colored plastic. Curator Valerie Fletcher introduced the exhibition, which recently arrived at the Hirshhorn after a stay at the co-organizing museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
Noguchi's work can be described as organic abstraction, as he focused on the language of raw materials. After he was released from a Japanese-American internment camp in 1942, he expressed his antagonistic ideals by choosing heavier, denser materials: black slate, black Swedish granite and balsa wood. His figures had also transformed to include many sexual undertones, as well as tragic figures depicting the horror of the World War II and the internment camps.
Noguchi is considered by many as the first true global artist, as he was influenced by indigenous arts and modern works of Asia, America and Europe. Highlights of the collection include earlier, hopeful pieces such as "Red Seed" and "Miss Expanding Universe," along with graphically expressive works "Untitled," "Solar" and "Gregory."
The Hirshhorn's Noguchi gallery also showcases the seven vibrant "Lunars," each made with magnesite cement, electric light and colored plastic or metal. These pieces set an optimistic mood as just one of the many well-designed and calculated rooms of the gallery. "Timelock," and "Uncertain Sea" are created with Pink Languedoc marble and black Swedish granite, respectively, and express dense emotion and balance.
A walk through the gallery includes encounters with various styles from granite calligraphy sculptures ("Galaxy Calligraphy") to Noguchi's unique paper lantern "Light Sculptures" (much like those popular in college dormitories). For expressive, organic and philosophical art, "Isamu Noguchi: Master Sculptor," is the collection to experience.
The exhibition will be on display at the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden from now until May 8, and is free to the public. Noguchi's art is a balance of light and dark, smooth and rough materials, and both harsh and sensual designs. Each set of contrasting elements creates a dynamic display of the beauty of both the physical and social worlds.
