Samuel Spiczka’s Like Clockwork (Sculpture)

Samuel Spiczka’s sculpture Like Clockwork is a creation that truly exemplifies the style of an artist and the crossover of man and machine. This sculpture features elements of wood, rubber, and Corten steel, an alloy that is weatherproof and appears rusted. These materials are some of the artist’s staples, and they were combined in order to create this 15-foot work. Spiczka is an artist that has been inspired by the dichotomy of the natural landscape of his home of rural Minnesota and the expanse of industrial technology. In his works, he frequently showcases geometric and mechanical figures in combination with bone structure and other natural elements in order to portray these contrasting worlds. The sculptures he creates are also intentionally ambiguous and require creativity on the part of the viewer. Like Clockwork is quite exemplary of all these aspects of Spiczka’s style. This piece was created for Skokie’s Northshore Sculpture Park, which stretches for 2 miles down McCormick Blvd. from Dempster to Touhy. The park was created in 1988 as a public space dedicated to the display of intriguing sculptures, and Like Clockwork is no exception. The piece was created with the intentions of the park in mind—to inspire public engagement with art and provoke thought and reflection.

            Like Clockwork conveys several themes through its form, materials, and construction. However, in a classic post-Modern style, the viewer is required to synthesize these themes without much assistance from the sculptor. In this piece, the first theme that is showcased is the integration of industrial mechanics into human labor. Throughout the past two centuries, human work has been transformed by the advent of technology at a very regular pace, as emphasized by the title. In some cases, man and technology have integrated seamlessly to become quite efficient. This is portrayed through the geometric figure in the middle of the sculpture that looks as if it fits into the socket of a bone, and it is emphasized the artist’s combination of steel and wood. However, technology has also overtaken man in certain fields. This is displayed on the bottom of the sculpture, where the geometric figure is much larger than the bone-like structure, and the two seem to barely connect. The second theme that is conveyed is how delicately humanity and technology are balanced in modern society. Technology could potentially overtake man, and man is responsible for striking the balance needed in order to prevent this. This is shown as the bone/machine structure hangs by only one hook from a pedestal, showing that the structure has the capacity to fall.

            I find this sculpture beautiful for many reasons—I have been driving past it for several years now, and it has always fascinated me. I frequently wonder whether or not disastrous weather could ever unhook the main piece of the artwork from its base. So far, it (thankfully) hasn’t come off, but I greatly value the symbolism of the sculpture in that way—its fall could mirror the collapse of modern society. In the same sense, as it is bared to the elements and has not come undone, I admire the tenacity and fortitude that is represented. I also greatly appreciate the artist’s ability to seamlessly blend the image of a bone structure and a complex, mechanical pattern. This construction shows his great skill and complex thought as he created the piece. The blend also very clearly conveys his themes of the cross of man and machine, but not in a overly apparent way. The sculpture strikes the perfect balance of not being too thematically obvious, but also being accessible to a common onlooker. Anyone jogging past the sculpture in the park can receive meaning from the sculpture, but they must put in the mental effort in order to do so. I think this aspect of the sculpture is its most beautiful. Overall, Like Clockwork is a seamless representation of the blend between man and machine in society.

Claude Monet’s Stacks of Wheat

Stack of Wheat (1890-91)

Monet’s Stacks of Wheat series is an outstanding achievement both for its time and as a work of art itself. In the context of Monet’s time, the series is part of a cultural break from the naturalist art movement. It features the classic French impressionist painting style of short, blended brushstrokes and an emphasis on light and its various shadows and highlights. On the other hand, naturalist art, which was considered to be the best in Monet’s era, features landscapes and still-lifes with neutral backgrounds and colors as characteristic properties—for instance, a lemon is always yellow—with very little room for artistic interpretation. Stacks of Wheat is a perfect example of a break from that movement, where one object is shown to have 15 different color schemes, displaying no intrinsic color. Additionally, in the context of late-19^th century France, stacks of wheat themselves were viewed as a mundane aspect of rural life. Although they were evidence of a productive harvest, haystacks typically blended into the typical scenery of rural France where Monet resided. Thus, choosing the stacks as subject matter and depicting them in such a beautiful manner was a significant cultural success.

Stacks of Wheat (End of Day, Autumn) (1890-91)

            Artistically, the Stacks series illuminates the human themes of perspective and time in a way unlike many other works of art. The sole objects in these cenes are haystacks in fields—however, they are depicted in 15 different manners, each of which was constructed with careful attention to detail. This shows how even a seemingly plain subject matter can represent beauty, life, and light when seen through a new perspective. Furthermore, in Monet’s time, haystacks had obvious life-giving and economic importance that was frequently overlooked. Addressing this oversight, he casted them in several timeless, transcendent works of art as a clear testament to their underlying significance. In this way, this series is a demonstration of the theme that beauty is a value of perception. The Stacks series is also a more literal representation of the subjectivity of human perspective. Fifteen people can look at the same two haystacks and have fifteen unique, personal understandings of them, as evidenced by this series. It is even possible that one man can have multiple perspectives about an object simultaneously, as Monet clearly demonstrates in the Stacks series. Additionally, the collection demonstrates that an object can change in value and appearance depending on the point in time at which one sees it. In this case, the weather conditions, time of day, and season all contribute to a unique representation of a haystack. These factors all stand to show that meaning and perception is directly influenced by time and context.

Stacks of Wheat (Sunset, Snow Effect) (1890-91)

          Monet’s Stacks of Wheat series is exceptionally culturally and artistically significant; however, it is also accessible on a personal level. It is for this reason that I fell in love with the works—the tranquil, picturesque representations of nature made me feel serene and peaceful, yet simultaneously engaged my intellect and gave greater insight into the fundamental nature of humankind. In this way, the Stacks are appreciable on both a surface level and a deep, philosophical level, which is a true testament to the skill of the artist, and one of the foremost reasons that I find the series beautiful. Additionally, I am a very amateur student of art, yet was able to instantly connect with the works and their representation of humanity. This is another testament to the skill of the artist in making a sophisticated piece that is also accessible to the average onlooker like myself. Finally, I personally am very disconnected from nature and rural life, and very infrequently take time to reflect upon its significance. However, Monet depicted a nature scene rich with significance that even a person like me, who has only once stepped foot on a farm, can appreciate. Overall, Claude Monet’s Stacks of Wheat is an accessible yet significant work of art that represents both the conventional and philosophical definition of beauty.