PS1 TRIP

            The first work I want to talk about is an untitled assemblage by Noah Purifoy. It is a collection of old things put together. That’s why it’s an assemblage. For example I see, boots, shoes, hair brushes, bones, and clothing. Overall there’s just a collection of old stuff put together. By putting everything together there’s unity because it seems as they are creating a coherent whole. And there’s also variety because there’s it’s all the different things that make the assemblage look so interesting. Now this is a 3d sculpture with an organic shape. There’s also no negative or positive space. Also it feels like it’s monochromatic because it has a brownish look if you just look at it as a whole. And the last thing I want to point out about the elements is that it has a course texture so it’s obviously actual texture. When talking about content I want to say that this assemblage can be looked at in so many different ways. Noah collected these things from the watts riots (black community neighborhood riot in Los Angeles in 1965). So he collected the materials and started to make different sculptures using rumble detritus left in the aftermath of the riots. So by collecting the old remaining’s I think that Noah Purifoy wanted to show the pride he had for the black community and what a magnificent sculpture it is. So I believe this assemblage will always be important because future generations have an opportunity to look at history.

            The second work I want to talk about it’s a mixed medium called “Swept” by dale Brockman Davis. The work features a broom, which leans against an old screen door. The brooms bristles are wrapped in folded leather and a section of wall next to it has vertical striations, seemingly made from clay, which has partially worn away and chipped. In African American culture brooms are frequently used in weddings ceremonies in a tradition called “jumping the broom”. The custom began during slavery were black people were not allowed in churches, instead a bride and broom will jump together over a broomstick, symbolically leaping into their new life. So probably the artist wants the world to understand a particular wedding   tradition that was popular in African American culture. This is of course a 3D sculpture with an organic shape. The black wall is the negative space and the broom represents the positive space. Also I see a lot of variations of the same color, for example the broom and the chipped away section of the wall are very similar in color. And it feels like it’s a rough fine texture but not smooth. So this is a very interesting sculpture because it has a lot of symbolism which makes you think about the meaning of the work, and I believe that if an artist makes the viewer think hard about the content of his work, then his work is a big success. So in a way both works are similar because of they both show something about the African American society and culture.