I decided to pick Martin Puryear because I find his sculptures fascinating and one of his pieces is in the permeant collection at the Modern in my hometown of Fort Worth. It is called Ladder for Booker T. Washington. The oldest of seven, Martin Puryear was born in Washington, D.C. in 1941. When he was young, he spent his time studying practical crafts. He started out by learning how to build guitars and furniture. He got his BA from The Catholic University of America in 1963. After that, he joined the Peace Crops and served in Sierra Leone from 1964 to 1966. Then he studied printmaking in the late 60s in Sweden. He received an MFA in sculpture from Yale in 1971. His very first solo exhibition was held in the late 70s at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. In the 80s, he received a Skowhegan Medal and a MacArthur Foundation Award. He was also on the jury for the World Trade Center SIte Memorial Competition in 2003. In November of 2008, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art showed 30 years of his work. The presentation included Ladder for Booker T. Washington. Martin Puryear now lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York. Puryear put a lot of thought into everything he did, as do most artists. He got inspiration from his African roots and went from there. His work is assembled in a minimalist, simple design. Two of the his main works that he is known for are Box and Pole and Sanctuary. Just by the titles you can see the simplicity in his work. Box and Pole is basically and box on the ground with a hundred foot pole going toward the sky. It is symbolizing our rank on earth. As seen in that, he is obviously a modern sculptor. Sanctuary, he uses older techniques to execute his plan. Sanctuary is basically a stick connecting a box that anchors what is on the other end of the stick, a wheel. The wheel is able to move but only slightly. It is symbolic of human life. Most of the materials that Puryear uses are wood, tar, wire and other metals to make common crafts. Most of his work reflects minimalism but he doesn’t think of himself this way. Though he didn’t come up with the title until after it was done, Ladder for Booker T. Washington symbolized Booker T. Washington struggle and slow climb to the top. I enjoy his work. I like really simple art that you can find meaning in and you know exactly what the artist is trying say and you can feel it. I enjoy feeling emotional when I look at art. Whether it be photography, paintings, or sculptures, I want to feel something. If I can’t feel anything about it, then I simply will not care. I also like that everything he does symbolizes idea or moral. That brings me in because I start thinking about my own life and how I can relate to the art I am looking at. Then I start to care more because the art in front of me has something to do with me. Like I said, his art is very simple and right the point and that’s why I like it.
And I will fix you.
