Art Analysis: A Tilted Arc By Richard Serra

A “Tilted Arc” is an art installation created by Richard Serra, and American minimalist sculptor well-known for working with the large-scale installations of sheet metal. In 1981 he mounted a solid plate of COR-TEN steel covered in rust on Foley Federal Plaza in Manhattan. The plate is 120-foot long and 12-foot high which makes it easily noticeable. While attracting a certain constant amount of negative feedback, it still exists with the help of numerous defenders. However, the opponents of the arc are striving for its removal with an intense insistence and it is highly possible that the arc will vanish from Plaza. In that way, it is necessary to understand what the meaning of the sculpture created by Richard Serra is and whether it is worth

This area is a center of the state power of America as there are the buildings of the courts. In its center is a fountain, which does not work possibly because of a strong wind. For this plaza, Serra created a sculpture that consisted of a slightly inclined steel plate which bends passed through the whole plaza dividing its space into two parts, one part of which was perceived as convex and the other as concave. It is evident that the sculpture is presented in an unusual form. However, it allows immediately avoid the problem of self-reference that is inherent to the traditional forms of culture as soon as the work of art enters the public space. It does not tell about the author's personality anymore but shows how the place can be changed through the presence of some object there and in particular, of sculpture. A sculpture presented in public space in its usual shape creates the illusion of autonomy as if it is independent of the place and it can be put anywhere. Serra sought to create a sculpture specific to the place, a site-specific sculpture, which made it

As it was already mentioned, the sculpture cannot be removed as it would lose its sense and be destroyed. In that way, it is necessary to assess to what extent the public sculpture is responsible to the public. The work of art should remind people about some important issue and it is evident that the “Tilted Arc” successfully performs this task. It is important to understand that art is not about the compromise but about the challenge and also about history and representation of the current culture. However, the oppositionists of the arc like William Diamond and Edward D. Re have numerous claims against the sculpture stating that the sculpture makes it inconvenient to access buildings and destroyed the aesthetic qualities of the square. Moreover, it throws out threatening shadows, was too costly for taxpayers and closes the view of the part of the