“The eye is the best of artists. By the mutual action of its structure and of the laws of light, perspective is produced…And as the eye is the best composer, so light is the first of painters”
In the autumn of 1966 James Turrell embarked on a project that would define his practice and revolutionize the definition of art making from then onwards. The artist worked from the site of what had been the Mendota Hotel in Los Angeles, and over two years transformed the interiors to create sound and light proof rooms that would be able to house his work. Armed with slide projectors the artist “sculpted” light into geometric forms onto the walls, effectively materializing the one element that has fascinated artists throughout centuries; light. From Fra Angelico and Caravaggio, to Caspar David Friedrich and Giorgio de Chirico among many others, light, and how to depict it has fascinated artists around the world. In the late 1960s James Turrell created his Projection Series successfully mastering the depiction of light and of which Orca (Blue and Red) is an exquisite example.
In Orca (Blue and Red) a plane of cobalt blue stands beside a plane of cherry red. Executed in 1969 the present work perfectly encapsulates the artist’s efforts to capture light, creating a mesmerizing and ethereal environment that enthralls the viewer. The two colour planes are separated by a strip of darkness, emphasizing the contrast between the two hues and creating a feeling of movement within the room. Orca (Blue and Red) is reminiscent of Barnett Newman’s zip paintings, which in a way akin to the present work envelop the viewer in the composition and invite contemplation and reflection.
Of his Projection Series James Turrell has explained how “The first images had a distinctive sculptural quality: the piece seemed to objectify and make physically present light as a tangible material. The space which these pieces occupied was definitely not the same as that which the room had without the image. The space generated was analogous to a painting in two dimensions alluding to three dimensions, but in this case three-dimensional space was being used illusionistically. That is, the forms engendered through this quality of illusion did not necessarily resolve into one clearly definable form that would exist in three dimensions” (James Turrell cited in: Ibid. p. 19). Indeed, the present work seems to make light tangible, an accomplishment made possible by James Turrell’s truly original creative genius.
