John B. Mors

  
"Monumental Sculptures for Small Spaces."

Glenview Mansion Art Gallery. 2016.






These sculptures address the issue of scale vs size.
Whereas size relates to the physical dimensions of a sculpture, scale relates to its impact or monumentality.

These sculptures are monumental in nature, having a substantial presence, and yet are contained within cigar and wine boxes, which constrain the size of the sculpture.
There is no intent for the works to be maquettes for large sculptures.
Hence the works are called “Monumental Sculptures for Small Spaces”.



For more information about the show, visit my blog:
Monumental Sculptures For Small Spaces - Glenview Mansion 2016.
 
Before Napoleon.
After Napoleon.
Napoleon's Dream.
Endless Column.
Escape of the Tortured.
  
 :
 
Cestius: Constrained Pyramid.
Aergia: Restful Red
Nature Obscured.
Peggie Sue Got Married.
Sanctum.
  
 :
 
Quack, Quack, Bang.
Fish Ascending.
Ascending Pyramid: Pegasys.
Constrained Tower.
Danae: a Love Song.
  
 :
 
Totems.
Up, Down and Round About.
Curious and Curiouser.
Alice Large.
Given that we can live only a small part of what there is in us -- what happens with the rest?" : Night Train to Lisbon.
  
 :
 
Fugitive Colors.
Sand Castles.
Tiepolo: Synchromism.
What's in a Name?
Yellow Terror.
  
 :
 
Red Summer: A Hero's Welcome.
Tension Suspended.
I Would Not want to Live in a World without Cathedrals.
Colors of Valor.
    
 
In sculpture, monumentality and size are not the same thing. This is what I am playing with in this series. Monumentality is the presence a piece has in its environment. It is perceptual and context based. Size, on the other hand, is an absolute. It can be measured. The physical size of the sculpture is an absolute.

Each piece also presents a narrative. Each piece tells a story. Some pieces had a narrative from the start. “Red Summer” was conceived in toto. The image of the piece to be made was immediate and complete. Another piece, “Yellow Terror”, evolved over time. It is “Yellow Terror” because it was a nightmare to make, both in terms of its physical nature (aluminum) and the image (which changed several times). I still cannot tell if “Yellow Terror” works, because I am still too attached to it. But it is a good try. I leave the final decision up to the viewer.

These pieces are a departure from my usual steel work. I do not know if I will continue to make small sculptures. I do not know if I will return to larger steel pieces. However, whatever I do, I believe that my work will be forever changed by the time spent on this series. All works are part of the progression of my work to some, god only knows, end point. Maybe, I may even paint a floor of some gallery black.

  



   
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