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Study for Earthwork Proposal

A work made of graphite, fiber-tipped pen and colored crayons on cream wove paper, laid down on wood pulp board.
Art © Estate of Robert Smithson / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

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  • A work made of graphite, fiber-tipped pen and colored crayons on cream wove paper, laid down on wood pulp board.

Date:

1969

Artist:

Robert Smithson
American, 1938-1973

About this artwork

Interested in the outdoor, natural environment as an alternative site to the interior, decontextualizing space of museums, Smithson produced this earthwork study as a document of one moment in the continual process of environmental flux. The drawing depicts a partial view of one hundred glass squares embedded in a mound of earth. The placement of the glass on the ground surface outlines the general form of the mound though the parallel, horizontal arrangement of the squares contrasts with the mound’s convex irregularity. The reflective yet transparent nature of the glass dissolves the boundary separating sky and land by integrating reflected light and color with earthen forms and substance.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Robert Smithson

Title

Study for Earthwork Proposal

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1969

Medium

Graphite, fiber-tipped pen and colored crayons on cream wove paper, laid down on wood pulp board

Dimensions

45.2 × 60.8 cm (17 13/16 × 23 15/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Lannan Foundation

Reference Number

1997.122

Copyright

Art © Estate of Robert Smithson / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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