Beethoven’s Quartet

Katrina Simchick, Maya Lopez, Tiffany Stackhouse and Owen Chun

Mark di Suvero• He was born in Shanghai, China

in 1933• He then immigrated to the

United States in 1941 and received a BA in Philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley.

• He began showing his sculpture in the late 1950’s and is one of the most important American artists to emerge from the Abstract Expressionist Era.

Slide by Owen Chun

di Suvero’s Work and Exhibits• He is a pioneer in the use

of steel and architectural-scale sculptures-many with moving elements inviting viewer participation.

• He has exhibited in the US, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Germany, Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom.

• His work is in over 100 museums, including the MET, MoMA.

Mark di Suvero’s sculpture that was featured in Richard Bellamy’s Oil & Steel Gallery

Slide by Owen Chun

Awards• He is a lifelong activist for peace and

social justice, and has demonstrated a generous commitment to helping fellow artists.

• He received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Contemporary Sculpture form the International Sculpture Center in 2000 and the Heinz Award for Arts and Humanities in 2005.

• He was also recipient of the Smithsonian Archives of American Art Medal, as well as the National Medal of the Arts and also the American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Metal for Sculpture.

The Heinz Award

Slide by Owen Chun

LandscapeMark Di Suvero’s Beethoven’s Quartet interacts with the landscape in a way that makes the viewer think more deeply about the meaning of the sculpture and what the artist is trying to explore. Entirely made of metal, this sculpture is surrounded by Storm King’s art pieces that are fairly similar in material, rusted dark steel, except for one piece in the center that makes it stand out.

Slide by Maya Lopez

Di Suvero chooses to leave his sculpture on flat ground unlike many of his other pieces because this particular art piece has an immense amount of complexity. In order to only focus on only the sculpture, he clears out part of a field and places the sculpture in the middle. The artist lets the viewer take in the rest of the sculptures that contrast heavily with Beethoven’s Quartet, without letting the viewer get too distracted from the sculpture.

Slide by Maya Lopez

Another reason that this sculpture might be on flat ground is to catch more wind because the hanging silver piece can spin. As the part spins, the viewer can stand underneath it and the sculpture through the middle as it spins, giving the audience a constantly new perspective. At the center hangs a shining stainless steel figure that spins, catching the eye of the viewer and making them disregard everything almost everything else about the sculpture

Slide by Maya Lopez

InteractionEven from afar, while so many sculptures vie for the audience’s attention, the big attraction is the center piece can be interacted with by taking a hammer and banging it against the shining piece in the middle, creating an almost melodic vibrating sound that aids the viewer in understanding the piece more deeply. Di Suvero adds this interactive piece in order to help the viewer feel like they are participating in the sculpture, making them feel like they are a part of the art, helping to create music with “Beethoven.” As the title suggests, this sculpture pertains to the making of music, and the viewer’s ability to make sounds with the sculpture helps the viewer visualize the sculpture being an actual “quartet,” playing in a concert in front of millions of people.

Slide by Maya Lopez

Revealing DetailThere is a lot contrast between the different parts of the sculpture, the most apparent being the colors. The hanging piece of the sculpture is bright silver an shiny, while the others are a rusted brown color. The difference represents the the people in a quartet. The older, and therefore rustier, yet more knowledgable musicians, and the silver structure is the young soloist, who is brand new to the quartet.

Slide by Katrina Simchick

Another contrast is that the hanging part is the very center of the sculpture as well as symmetrical. The brown elements of the sculpture are in a skewed position and asymmetrical. The rusted brown parts represent the older, used parts of a quartet. The silver part represents the main attraction of the quartet, the soloist. The soloist is new and the center of the piece. It’s the part that everyone sees and notices immediately. The rusted pieces are still important and commended on there unique talents, but are not the prominent feature, the most amazing piece.

Slide by Katrina Simchick

Second Most Revealing DetailMark di Suevero’s Beethoven’s Quartet contains many supporting elements that hold up the entire sculpture. In the middle of the sculpture there is a colossal silver figure that is dangling from brown rusted pieces. The audience can see that if the other pieces did not exist in the sculpture, the silver structure would not be able to hold itself up and be as elegant as it is. The stronger supporting parts represent the older non-soloists in a quartet who have to back and help the soloist succeed. They also contain bolts which represents the parts being patched, worn, and older than the silver piece. Without the supporting pieces the silver figure would not be able to exist and function properly.

Slide by Tiffany Stackhouse

The stronger supporting parts represent the older non-soloists in a quartet who have to back and help the soloist succeed. They also contain bolts which represents the parts being patched, worn, and older than the silver piece. Without the supporting pieces the silver figure would not be able to exist and function properly.

Slide by Tiffany Stackhouse