"Tide Fulcrum and The Motion of Fixed Stars" : Serpens

Louise Despont's exhibit: “Tide Fulcrum and the Motion of Fixed Stars,” featured Serpens as its focus piece. This show was held at Nicelle Beauchene’s Lower East Side galleries. The piece is large, taking up a huge portion of the wall, and is done on many ledger pages. The viewer is drawn into this work because of its size, color, and composition. When viewed one immediately notices the rich reds in the work. The entire piece evokes the feeling of warmth, with oranges, salmons, and reds. The piece engages the senses because of its rich feel, and it stands out with the red color. It is also the only piece in the exhibit that does not display cool tones. When looking at the exhibit as a whole one can immediately identify Serpens. From a distance one can only really notice these initial warming red tones, with a few blue, green swirls. Again from a distance, the view is struck by the compositional effect of the work. At the very center there is one core diamond, which all other shapes seem to branch out from, finally to create a perfect boarder. The piece is very symmetrical, evenly balanced on both sides; it is only when you are close to the paper that you realize the differences and textures. Close to the work the serpents are visible, swirling around the triangle and boarder. They are the only uneven element of the painting. These serpents take many different shapes and give the impression of slithering over the work instead of being a part of it. Serpents hold different religious connotations in America and in Asia (especially in Buddhism and Hinduism, which Despont is influenced by). In Hinduism serpents are often depicted with gods and are not feared in the way they are in Christianity. Despont plays on this double connotation of fear and comfort. In addition to noticing the serpents when up close, one can see the texture within the piece especially up close. From a far the piece is a cohesive work, smooth and machine looking, yet up close one can see each component separate. The stencils Despont uses are filled in sketchily, leaving holes and little pockets of white. This humanizes the work, eliminating the machine-like symmetry.

One aspect of the drawing that cannot be seen in most pictures is, “the rows of ledger pages themselves, which seem to only be pinned down at their top corners and are partially left to float toward the frame glass, add a sense of dimension and physicality” (Wolf, 1). This adds another element of separation in the piece ending the cohesive initial impression.

 

Heinrich, Will. "'Louise Despont: Tide Fulcrum & The Motion of Fixed Stars' at Nicelle Beauchene." Observer. N.p., 08 Jan. 2013. Web. 15 May 2015.  

Wolf, Alex. “LOUISE DESPONT Draws Deep.” THELAST MAGAZINE. N.p., 09 Jan. 2013. Web. 07 May 2015.