Martin Puryear: Weaving Together Art, Craft, and Experience at MoMA
Martin Puryear’s current exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), titled “Nexus,” isn’t just a showcase of sculptures; it’s a profound exploration of connection – between form and meaning, material and memory, and the artist’s personal journey with the broader currents of history and identity. Puryear, remarkably, has always prioritized the tactile, the handmade, even within the context of large-scale production. This dedication to craft is central to understanding his unique artistic vision.
His path wasn’t conventional. A stint in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, coupled with formal training in printmaking at the Swedish Royal Academy of Art, led him to a deep engagement with the skills of local carpenters, toolmakers, and furniture builders. He learned not just how things were made,but the inherent stories embedded within those processes.
For years, abstract art often shied away from direct allusion, demanding viewers focus solely on the object itself. Puryear,though,deliberately reintroduced a sense of invitation,allowing for multiple interpretations. Take “Noblesse O.” (1987), an eight-foot inverted funnel. While undeniably a powerful formal statement, it’s hard to ignore its playful echo of the Tin Man’s hat from The wizard of Oz.
this willingness to embrace association feels purposeful. It’s as if Puryear recognized what was being left out of high art in the 1960s – the richness of lived experience – and consciously decided to bring it all back in.
The meaning of “Nexus”
The exhibition’s title, “Nexus,” perfectly encapsulates this interconnectedness. When you encounter a Puryear work, you’re invited to follow several threads simultaneously:
* The sheer beauty of form and material. His sculptures are visually arresting.
* The ingenuity of his craftsmanship. The joinery is often as compelling as the overall shape.
* Resonances with nature, history, and Black identity. Puryear’s work is layered with meaning.
“Nexus” also refers to a specific piece from 1979: a large cedar hoop, painted black and white where the ends meet. this early work foreshadows the themes that would define his career.Even his student etchings, like “Quadroon,” reveal his early fascination with recurring forms – in this case, a lumpy, mound-like shape.
The influence of natural observation is particularly striking. curator Emily Liebert recounts Puryear’s childhood encounter with Audubon’s portraits of gyrfalcons, one white and one black, adapted to their surroundings. This sparked a crucial realization for the young artist: “I made a connection about human racial difference by way of these species.”
From Wildlife Illustration to Sculptural Form
Interestingly, puryear initially aspired to be a wildlife illustrator. He even began college intending to study biology before ultimately choosing art. This early passion for the natural world remains a constant throughout his work. you’ll notice the careful identification of the woods he uses – Alaskan yellow cedar, Swiss pear, lignum vitae – treated almost as collaborators.
but it’s not just about what materials he uses, but how he uses them. Puryear’s work embodies nature’s own processes of repetition and evolution. You can trace the progress of forms across decades: the hump of “Quadroon” evolving into “Self,” then morphing into a bear-like shape, and finally stretching into a bird in flight.
This evolution continues. In the 2010s, that familiar hump took on the distinctive, floppy shape of a Phrygian cap – a powerful symbol of liberty during both the American and French Revolutions.
Ultimately, experiencing a Martin Puryear sculpture is about recognizing the complex web of influences and ideas that converge within each piece. It’s a testament to the power of art to connect us to the past, to the natural world, and to each other. “The Way” (2022),featured in the exhibition,exemplifies this beautifully,inviting you to contemplate the journey and the connections that shape our understanding of the world.
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