Ruler Reflection
Artist
Sylvia Plimack Mangold
(American, born 1938)
Date1977
MediumAcrylic on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 61 × 24 inches (154.94 × 60.96 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: acquired through the generosity of the William T. Kemper Foundation–Commerce Bank, Trustee
Object number2010.43
On View
On viewGallery Location
- L3
Collections
DescriptionThis realistic painting depicts what appears to be a wooden plank floor which intersects with a white wall. At the intersection of floor and wall, a mirror leaning against the wall reflects the wooden floor. Two rulers appear. One ruler is on the floor and the other appears as a reflection in the mirror.Gallery LabelIn Ruler Reflection, Sylvia Mangold straddles realism and Minimalism as she seeks to "fit nature into geometry." As a realist painter, she seeks to accurately represent the scene before her. Yet the carefully arranged symmetrical and spare composition, her orderly repetition of wooden floor boards and her precise placement of an EXACT ruler reveal her interest in Minimalism. With exactitude, clarity and firmness of hand, she flawlessly depicts the space of the room while also creating the illusion of deeper space. Minimalism is famously reflexive, referring only to itself. Ruler Reflection works in much the same way.
Copyright© the artist through Alexander and Bonin, New York, NY
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