Blog Post #20: Initial Sculpture Analysis

My art object is a sculpture created from 1932 to 1939 by Russian-born American sculptor Saul Baizerman entitled, “Serenity.” The work is found in the sculpture gardens surrounding the Sheldon Museum Of Art located on the University Of Nebraska campus. Upon first viewing the sculpture, there are some preliminary inferences to be considered and some initial observations to be made. “Serenity” is made of hammered copper. It stands 39 inches tall, 27 inches wide, and is 15 inches deep. The sculpture hangs on a garden and is located in a setting with simple light so there isn’t a glare at any time during the day. “Serenity” is a sculptural representation of a human figure, one that appears to be laying down, head and arms tucked securely under the body. There is no head shown, no face to show emotion, and there are no complete arms or legs present either.

The first rhetorical element at play in “Serenity,” is the vectors of attention. When one first approaches the sculpture the first reaction is to identify the structure as a human form. Thusly, there is a visual hierarchy created. Our natural tendency when looking at other humans is to first look up to the face and the head and then slowly work our way downward. “Serenity” is no exception to this rule. It creates a natural line for our eyes to follow starting at the top and flowing slowing downward.Another rhetorical element at play in this sculpture is the arrangement. “Serenity,” is clearly created to resemble the human form, but it is not a complete human form. The one arm that is visible appears to be tucked under the body, and legs of the figure are partially cut off, or not shown. This element could also be considered as another rhetorical strategy, cropping. Despite the this cropping of the arms and legs, the arrangement is still such that not only can we tell that it is a human form, the most important elements remain, and the piece still conveys emotion.

The fact that we are able to read an emotion from “Serenity” is a direct appeal to pathos. Each person viewing the sculpture is able to understand the emotions that it is trying to convey and form an emotional connection with the sculpture. Despite the lack of facial features, or any kind of head at all, people are still able to understand the emotions. The position of the body, the sheer fact that it is depicting another human, as well as the title of the piece, allows viewers to empathize with the sculpture and feel the emotions it conveys.

There are also contrasting elements present in “Serenity.” The cold hard metal from which it was created is a sharp contrast from the calming title with warm emotional associations. The metal structure is also very simple with flowing continuous lines and most basic of human forms, while the emotions that “Serenity” invokes are neither simple nor basic. All emotions are very complicated, and serenity is no exception.