In conversation.

Donald Judd


Untitled, 1975


Plywood
 Dia Beacon, New York
Photo: Bill Jacobson
(c) Donald Judd 2008

David Raskin is an Associate Professor at the Department of Art History, Theory, and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He seems to be somewhat of an expert on Judd as he has published a number of writings on him, as well as minimalism and sculpture.

Raskin wrote ‘The Shiny Illusionism of Krauss and Judd’ in 2006 for the Art Journal. The text analyses the relationship between artist and art critic in the form of Rosalind Krauss and Donald Judd. Judd, an American Minimalist sculptor and American art critic Krauss had a love/hate relationship that lasted nearly 40 years. This text is an interesting example of the relationship between the artist and critic. It is interesting to note how Judd sees his art in comparison to how Krauss sees his work. This article brings to light the relationship that forms between an artist and critic. The artist’s goal is to express, through artistic output, feeling or thoughts around a particular subject. Often an artist expects a response or reaction from an audience, whereas an art critic articulates a position on ideas behind particular works of art, or on an artist’s body of work. Only once during the 40 year period that Krauss was writing about Judd did he respond. This is shown below;

“Krauss thought that meaning in Judd’s work resides in evoking just this self-reflection, because she believed it was interaction with objects in the world that enlivens them, that imbues them with significance.” (9)

Judd offered a different view “the art material, its properties, and their perceptual effects are one and the same: “They don’t seem illusionistic in that sense to me. In a sense (reflection) is an illusion just as the technical meaning of the term. I distinguish between that and illusion which I think is a perfectly matter-of-fact illusion and has no other connection to the other kind.” (9)

As seen above it shows that Judd is against the idea that the materials add to the reading of the work. The materials he uses are Metal, coloured Acrylics and wood. He is interested in Illusion and represented space as apposed to real space. He chose to use industrial materials to create abstract works to emphasize the purity of colour, form, space and materials- he preferred to describe his own work as “the simple expression of complex thought.” Krauss seems to suggest that the interaction of his sculpture with other objects in the world makes his works more significant. The comment that Krauss made above went against everything that Judd didn’t want his art to be. Judd wanted to produce art that was free of expression and associations. He used plain, industrial materials and shapes that were free of associations. His goal was for the viewer to focus on the situation the artist had created in the gallery space. Viewers can focus on what they truly experience in what Judd refers to as the ‘art space’ the isolated gallery space that is separate from the commodification of the everyday environment.

Judd believes that art should exist on its own, that it should not represent anything. This goes in line with what Richard Relwis states in ‘ The Power of Art,’ “what you see is what you see,” (47) – as originally quoted by Frank Stella. This is inline with what the Post-Painterly abstract artists including Judd believed. Relwis further states that Minimalist paintings and Sculpture are self-sufficient and have no content of meaning beyond their presence as objects in space. This is in line with what Judd sees in his own work. As an artist I can imagine the frustration that Judd felt against Krauss being picky against the reflection element within his work through his choice of materials. I cannot see why Krauss thinks that Judd’s artworks interact with the world, as the forms are highly reduced, and placed in very banal gallery settings. My experience of Judd’s sculptures at DIA: Beacon did not lead me to consider other objects reflected in the work. Rather I was more interested in how the works formed a conversation with one another. Judd was an innovator in that he removed all connections from traditional academic sculpture by removing the pedestal by placing the object directly on the floor.

This reading brings together the interesting relationship that forms between Critic and Artist. At this time Judd’s work fitted alongside the other artists of this time such as Stella and John Chamberlin therefore I find it interesting that Krauss was obsessively writing about Judd. I believe Judd’s ideas and concepts sit well inline with his concepts and find it difficult to see why Krauss see’s such different ideas within his practice. This reading brings up an interesting discussion. For me it shows how as an artist you have to be aware of your artistic aims and not let others change what you feel about your own work. Judd didn’t let Krauss’s opinion change the evolution of his style he probably considered what she said but didn’t hold it in high regards.

Works Sited

Lewis, Susan I., and Richard L. Lewis. The Power of Art. 2nd ed. California: Wadsworth, 2008. Print.

Raskin, David. "The Shiny Illusionism of Krauss and Judd." Art Journal 65 (2006): 6-21. Print.

Picture

PORT - Portland Art + News + Reviews. Web. 16 June 2010. http://www.portlandart.net/archives/2008/04/when_donald_jud.html.