Louise Nevelson New York City Essay

Although for Nevelson, wood and black don’t have a particular symbolism to her work, but rather serves as the tools of attaining an essence, one can observe some direct references to the differences shared by the feminine and masculine social expectations and associations within her work. New York City did not just gave Louise Nevelson the opportunity to inspire from the Abstract Expressionist that was a “cross-fertilization had been essential to her development as an artist”, but also the architecture of the city as a source of inspiration. (Lisle, 129). Nevelson always mentioned the impact of New York City as a megapolis on her large scale works made in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. For instance, Nevelson explains how the city’s artistic and urban transformation aided her style to develop into a

The architecture of the skyscrapers built in New York City, stimulated her interest in working with vertical and horizontal lines. The urban grid of the city was reappropriated in her work as a skeleton function, through which the whole sculptural piece can stand on a foundation that can be easily elaborated or left alone, depending on Nevelson’s perception of the essence. She regularly looked at the city for ideas, because to her the city, especially New York City, served as a magnificent work of art of the twentieth century. Nevelson goes on to explain her reactions toward the city as follows, “When I look at the city from my point of view, I see New York City as a great big sculpture” I saw the Empire State Building when it was going up… Seeing those high risers, bigger and bigger and bigger… you couldn’t think of little paintings or little pieces” (112). Hence, her large