According to the Cambridge University Press, the definition of ruin is “to spoil or destroy something” (Cambridge Dictionary, 2017). Joseph Mallord William Turner’s oil painting The Fall of an Avalanche in The Grisons, and Robert Smithson’s installation piece Partially Buried Woodshed, both recreate and capture the act of ruin through different techniques, imagery and medium. Turner’s piece captures the act of an avalanche through a static depiction of the moment before the destruction of a wooden cabin. This work is an example of an accidental ruin and could be considered a before shot of the destruction, making Smithson’s work the after shot.
Smithson’s work is an installation of twenty truckloads of dirt placed on and around a wooden shed …show more content…
Turner uses thick strokes with a strong sense of direction to capture the moment along with rich colours to capture the natural scenery. The use of white and light tones creates a cloudy background with parts of blue and grey to create a sky. With smaller and dramatic strokes, Turner highlights the trees and break between sky and land.
Smithson uses the same direction in his installation piece through the placement of soil. This uses the same textured and random effect as Turners landscape, it is also clear that Turner spent some time in the alpine landscapes which is shown through the way he can capture the textures and movement of the land. Smithson’s focus point is the broken-down woodshed, a similar shed features in Turners work, these two sheds highlight the destruction and process of ruin. This leads to further questioning of the history and inspiration for the …show more content…
Smithson showed an interest in art from an early age, doing art classes outside of school and for two years was a part of the Art Students League in New York. Like Turner, Smithson found one artists particularly inspiring during his early years, for Smithson this was David Smith, an American abstract expressionist. His first exhibition was in 1959, including his drawings, paintings and collages. Partially Buried Woodshed was influenced by Smithson’s experiences in nature, post war wreckage and experimentation with medium when lead him to be inspired by artists who works beyond traditional mediums. Without these influences through childhood and in the early stages of their careers, and the exposure to nature and its reputation to be unpredictable, both Smithson and Turner would have never have produced these works and been as successful and well-known as they are
Smithson’s work is an installation of twenty truckloads of dirt placed on and around a wooden shed …show more content…
Turner uses thick strokes with a strong sense of direction to capture the moment along with rich colours to capture the natural scenery. The use of white and light tones creates a cloudy background with parts of blue and grey to create a sky. With smaller and dramatic strokes, Turner highlights the trees and break between sky and land.
Smithson uses the same direction in his installation piece through the placement of soil. This uses the same textured and random effect as Turners landscape, it is also clear that Turner spent some time in the alpine landscapes which is shown through the way he can capture the textures and movement of the land. Smithson’s focus point is the broken-down woodshed, a similar shed features in Turners work, these two sheds highlight the destruction and process of ruin. This leads to further questioning of the history and inspiration for the …show more content…
Smithson showed an interest in art from an early age, doing art classes outside of school and for two years was a part of the Art Students League in New York. Like Turner, Smithson found one artists particularly inspiring during his early years, for Smithson this was David Smith, an American abstract expressionist. His first exhibition was in 1959, including his drawings, paintings and collages. Partially Buried Woodshed was influenced by Smithson’s experiences in nature, post war wreckage and experimentation with medium when lead him to be inspired by artists who works beyond traditional mediums. Without these influences through childhood and in the early stages of their careers, and the exposure to nature and its reputation to be unpredictable, both Smithson and Turner would have never have produced these works and been as successful and well-known as they are