Sculpture
Artist
William Carlson
(American, born 1950)
Date1983
MediumGlass
DimensionsOverall: 17 5/16 × 9 1/16 × 4 5/16 in. (44 × 23 × 11 cm)
ClassificationsGlass
Credit LineGift of Warren and Margot Coville, 2015
Object numberSN11429.83
Prägnanz is a German word, meaning conciseness, and for Carlson, it describes a sense of aesthetic order. The artist is visually building on a term the Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, used in psychology, by creating sculpture based on the ability of objects to be arranged in a way that is simple and balanced. For this sculpture series that Carlson explored for over five years, he stacked geometric shapes to create intersections of triangles and wedges of faceted glass with colorful slices of Vitrolite architectural glass, a form of industrial glass. In repurposing glass from the Art Deco era of the 1920s and 30s, Carlson explores themes and variations of balanced asymmetry.
On View
On viewLocation
- Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion, 1st floor, gallery, wall case 9
