John T. Riddler Jr.

Visited the de Young Museum in San Francisco CA last week to Check out the Soul of a Nation exhibition. I will be posting much more on this exhibition but to start off I will talk about John T. Riddlers, Gradual Troop Withdrawal. 

One of many great works but the one that I can relate the most with being a sculpture in this particular medium. This figure composed of scrap metal takes the shape of a headless body being blown away. It creates a very dynamic pose as the viewer can feel the motion of the figure as well as the impact of this unknown force that creates the body to be blown away. The use of metal is very precise as it is not the most pristine craft, with exposed welds and loose ends. This choice of aesthetic creates a much more gruesome feel to the sculpture as these bits of metal begin to feel more like human flesh. My fascination with this particular piece has to do with the pose of the figure, the shadow it creates and the artist's approach to the base of the sculpture. Each of these aspects create an overall very visually attractive work. Since they can be observed and appreciated independently but cohesively work so well together.