Louise Nevelson Analysis

“Art is everywhere, except it has to pass through a creative mind (The Art Story).” This quote belongs to one of the most famous female sculptors in America, Louise Nevelson. Louise Nevelson was born on September 23, 1899 in Kiev, Russia (The Art Story). According to The Art Story Contributors, she, along with her family, moved to Maine in 1905 and by 1908, she had known she wanted to be an artist. Nevelson worked with Hans Hofmann, Diego Rivera, George Grosz, and also met with Frida Kahlo, all of which are well-known for their artistic abilities. At the beginning of her career, she wasn’t well-known mostly due to not fitting in with the likes of museum curators. At the time, her art and sculptures were kept to a smaller size but as she grew

This piece resembles an installation because many small, stacked boxes, or cubicles, make up a large, curved wall. Again, each box had variety with different wooden pieces, just as Sky Cathedral. It was originally painted in black so that Nevelson could display the sculpture with a low blue light. Nevelson altered the light to make different shadows appear within the piece because the shadows created were just as important as the sculpture itself (Kirkeby). Homage to 6,000,000 includes asymmetrical balance since one side is different than the other in terms of shape and placement of the wooden objects. The piece does include symmetry, however, when it comes to looking at the outline the boxes

The work includes many pieces that come together to form a wedding, including a bride, groom, attendants and guests, a cake, and a chapel all made from wood (DiMarzo). Contrary to most of Nevelson’s works, Dawn’s Wedding Feast is painted in all white, although the lighting created some shading. The meaning for this artwork is marriage and the white color represents, as DiMarzo says, “hope, possibility and new beginnings.” Nevelson was very fond of this artwork, considering her marriage didn’t work out. DiMarzo does mention, however, that she was losing herself while married, but ended up marrying art instead. Perhaps this is why Nevelson chose white for this piece; as a reference to a new beginning. As a whole, Dawn’s Wedding Feast includes several designs with each piece, contributing to the overall unity and having the entire installation flow