The Essence of Time/ Guggenheim Museum Bilbao/ 1994-2005

American sculptor Richard Serra works in the style of minimalism. His works are based on the simplicity of expression and simple methods without the usual philosophical complexity. Serra is famous for his massive sculptures made of sheet metal.

Serra's early work focused on industrial materials such as steel and lead, which he worked with as a teenager in a steel mill. Since the beginning of the Mini-Mallist movement, his works have become famous for their physical form in terms of size and weight.

Serra is considered one of the leading sculptor artists in the second half of the 20th century due to his new views and the construction of sculptures in urban spaces.

Serra's early works were Abstract. He believed in process art. A movement that believed that the final product of the work of art is of secondary importance and that the process and flow of the work of art including collecting materials, arranging, matching, mixing and giving shape and role is the most fundamental goal.

His early works were molten lead that was thrown on the exhibition wall. He then began working with large sheets of steel. These works of his are usually raised on the ground and emphasize the weight and nature of its constituent materials. With these works, he also explores the relationship between the piece of art, the place and the viewer.

The Essence of Time/ Guggenheim Museum Bilbao/ 1994-2005

The steel pieces are designed in open spaces in such a way that they are affected by the oxidation process over time, and after eight to ten years, the color of the steel becomes a fixed color that remains almost constant throughout the lifetime of the sculpture.

Serra's work is not limited to making his steel volumes, and besides making video art, he has also experimented with the basic features of his sculptures, including the emphasis on materials and processes, wide and large-scale forms, and the opening and subordination of space in his designs. In fact, his design is a way to think about the sculpture, or it is the two-dimensional shadow of the sculpture before its steel embodiment!

Since 1971, when he used the black roller (combination of oil paint, wax and pigment) for his designs, the color black has been recognized as the dominant characteristic of his works. In his opinion, color is a very seductive factor in art, but the reasons for this seduction are not always correct. Even his steel works go through the process of oxidation before being installed or transferred to the exhibition to fix their color. This approach to color shows that for this artist, color is not part of the design; Because, according to him, color is not a structural thing, and the structure is exactly what Sera is looking for.

Serra's works follow a special type of design, the description of which depends on the knowledge of individual experiences. In his use of material in the form of linear vectors, lines and types of borders, Serra establishes a common method with abstract art. A way that can be considered as giving importance to line or design alone. This method is evident in postminimalism artists.

Prepared and arranged by: Narges Saheb Ekhtiari