Clear Shadow II
Artist
Richard Whiteley
(Australian (b. United Kingdom), born 1963)
CultureAustralian
Date2001
MediumKiln cast, cut, ground, and polished glass
Dimensions32 × 13 × 4 in. (81.3 × 33 × 10.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of Gwen and Jerome A. Paulson
Object number2023.28.1
Not on view
DescriptionThe Whiteley artwork is a tall and thin work of cast glass. The cast and cut voids take advantage of the optics of transparent, colorless glass to create additional volume. When viewed from the front, it appears to be flat and rectangular with irregular, ragged side edges and a smooth, flat top. Overall the work is thin, thickening slightly at mid-point. On the back, a negative concavity cast into the glass slightly off-center creates a vertical, rectangular shape with a rounded top; five circular holes, evenly spaced at intervals, are cut through the glass at this point. The optics at this area create a trompe-l’oeil effect that gives the piece a more complex and dimensional appearance. Bubbles and swirls are visible within the colorless glass, and a pale brown tinge is visible along the left side of the work. The piece is affixed to a thin rectangular metal base measuring 13 x 4 inches.
