Construction #17
Artist
William Cushner
(American, born Canada, 1914 - 1992)
CultureAmerican
Date1968
MediumPaper | Cardboard | Wood | Paint | Glass
DimensionsOverall: 20 1/8 x 20 1/8 x 2 1/2 in. (51.1 x 51.1 x 6.4 cm)
InscribedSigned on back: "William Cushner" and dated.
Credit LineGift of the artist
Object number68.70.1
Not on view
DescriptionConstruction/assemblage, made of paper, cardboard and wood, painted white. Enclosed in a shadow box and glassed. Finished January 3, 1968.Label TextWilliam Cushner American, b. Canada, 1914-1992 Construction #17, 1968 Mixed media White squares shift to white circles and back to squares again. The classical shapes begin with the large outline of the frame, progressing inward with smaller shapes until the eye reaches the smallest square in the center of the work. William Cushner was known for creating these reliefs of rectangular and circular forms in very restrained palettes, mostly in whites, grays, and blacks. He also showed them repeating in a succession of largest to smallest, suggesting the idea of movement inward. Cushner leaves it to the viewer to decide if he is thinking purely of harmony within geometry or having a larger conversation about internal self-reflection. Gift of the artist 68.70.1 Exhibition HistoryLent to EVMS in 1979
