Research suggests that Column (1923) was an essential milestone for the creative expansion of the artist himself. According to Gabo, the sculpture represents “the height of his search for an image which would fuse the sculptural element with the architectural element into one unit”. As mentioned earlier, Column was intended to be a small preliminary model for a monument that was never made, but yet the architectual construtivism remains.
On the two circular shaped platforms of dark steel
rises a high construction in clear glass. White and red geometric shapes of
plastic are integrated in the column that gives the sculpture transparency achieved
as a multidimensional sculpture. All the dimensions are exposed at the same
time and simultaneously slide together in the surrounding space. Despite the
size of the sculpture, it seems very weightless. The white and red elements
achieve character of dynamic floating forms, whereas they also have separate purposes.
The white elements is reflected in the glass, which projects a vibrant and shining
light character, whereas the red element is reflected like a mirror creating a
sense of openness to the rest of the sculpture.
I looked up the materials used for this sculpture, and it was wood, glass, perspex, and metal. The choice of these specific materials must create some sort of illusion of the time being. In my opinion, the choice made for this sculpture is deeply relates to the movement of the architecture, because of different reasons.The wood is subjecting the past, and hidden.
The metal is subjecting the future, and the exposed.
The glass is subjecting the transparent, and the "usually" unknown.
The perspex, (plexiglass) is subjecting the edge, and the "new" simplicity.
At last, I would like to include a two different thoughts.
1. There is a model of the column built my Mr. Gabo himself 2 years prior to the one from 1923.
I am not adding this sculpture just for the sake of information, but I realized that in just two years, the artist innovated a artpiece multiple levels to a strucuture I would not have encountered for.
2. There is a relation between Naum Gabo's "Column" and El Lissitzky's "New Man". I wonder if Lissitzky took "Column" and made it even more abstract, or vice versa.
I am thinking it is a helicopter persceptive of "Column", but that is as far as my imagination can go. It is an unanswered question valueable for research.
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