Chapter 7 Summary

Thomas McEvilley writes in his book “Sculpture in the Age of Doubt,” published 1999, about a particular artist who has helped shape the world of sculpture in a more personal sense. Artist Lucas Samaras was raised in Greece during WWII as well as the Greek civil war. Being raised in such an environment, he began to turn to art at a young age by creating his own toys out of anything he could find. When he was eleven his family moved to The United States where he stayed until going to Rutgers University to pursue his artistic career. It wasn't until 1964 that he began to separate from his family and begin his own self-exploration through his work.

Samaras aimed to reveal himself in his pieces yet keeping the viewers at a distance. To become completely open with expressing his life as art itself seemed to be his goal. Presenting a work called Room #1, he exposed items of familiarity that helped shape and build his being and transformation into maturity. This room displayed items that combined his living space as well as his studio, representing his transition to adulthood and exploration of past developments concerning his artistic achievements as well as growth. Another work that played with the idea of the artist's external identity was Book 4, which had an alluring affect yet the nails and sharp objects surrounding the book holds the viewer back from access of the information (or identity) contained inside. This exhibits the idea of wanting to allow an open self yet still suppressed by a wall of distance. When taking another approach to art, Samaras experimented with auto-polaroids, in which he completely divulged his soul by baring his body. His naked self suggests being completely defenseless without previous shields to hold back his true identity. His work has marked a new point that has personal life become the main element of artistic expression.

1. Should there be a limit to how open an artist can be?
2. Shouldn't an artist create work that develops their own being?
3. Is the point of art just for the admiration of others?