When first saw the title of the sculpture that I had to analyze for my final writing project, I was anxious to see what it looked like. I don’t know if I ever really imagined what I might look like, but I was not expecting to find what I saw. The title of my assigned sculpture is called “Serenity,” and when I first saw the partial copper body hanging on a wall of the Sheldon Art Museum Sculpture Garden, serenity was definitely not my first thought. That immediately got me thinking about what serenity really means and how it is portrayed in the sculpture. The more that I sat and looked at the sculpture I found myself not only seeing serenity in the sculpture, but also feeling rather serene as well.
The sculptor, Saul Baizerman created a work of art that employs several rhetorical elements to create not only an argument for serenity, but also a feeling of serenity. The rhetorical element of logos is most prevalent in this sculpture. It is the basic structure of the sculpture that shapes the argument, creates contrast, and ultimately portrays serenity. “Serenity” is a copper work that takes the shape of a human body. But an element to consider is that not all of the body is represented in the sculpture. There is no head or face, one arm of the figure is not shown, another appears to be tucked under the body, and the legs, while shown, are cut off just above where the knees would be. It is the fact that we see a human form when we look at this sculpture that makes logos such an important part of the work.
Another rhetorical element it is essential to consider in “Serenity,” is pathos. The title of the work immediately evokes an emotion because serenity itself is essentially an emotion. But the one thing that typically elicits an emotional response and supports pathos is the human face, but in this case, the head and face are not shown. But even though these characteristics are not shown, they contribute to the rhetorical element of pathos even more strongly.
There is also another element to consider when analyzing “Serenity.” The work is outside in a sculpture garden as opposed to being inside a gallery or museum. This adds a whole different dimension to consider. Being outside there are natural elements that now come into play that would not normally be factors were the sculpture inside. One of these natural elements is the sun. The sculpture is made of copper, so it could easily become glaring if placed in direct sunlight. As it stands however, the sculpture is “located in a setting with simple light so that the sun can pass over it without glare,” (Sculpture Brochure). Obviously these natural elements were definitely a consideration and add to the overall feeling and argument portrayed through the sculpture and it is important to consider all of the elements in order to fully it.
Works Cited
Sculpture Brochure. Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. http://www.sheldonartgallery.org/photos/graphics/sculpturebrochure.pdf.
