Untitled
Jesús Rafael Soto
Venezuelan, 1923–2005
1959
A small work in tempera on wood with painted wire in which Soto uses a field of repeated vertical lines and a wiry relief element to provoke a shimmering sense of motion and depth.
At first the thin white lines on black seem to tremble as your eyes scan them, then the knotted, partially red-painted wire pushes forward and interrupts the rhythm so the flat surface appears to breathe, shift, and recede.
Made during the kinetic-art moment of the late 1950s, this piece exemplifies Soto's effort to turn optical sensation into a physical event—blurring painting and sculpture and making the viewer's perception an essential part of the work.
Medium
Tempera on wood with painted wire
Dimensions
9 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 5 5/8" (24 x 19 x 14.1 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Philip Johnson
Accession
796.1969
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
