Out of the famous artists who created in minimalist style, the name of Anne Truitt stands out as the proclamation of the outstanding power of art. Truitt’s paintings and sculptures are remarkable due to the choice of colors and techniques. The artist is well-known both in the US and abroad, and her exhibitions gather thousands of visitors. The work I chose to analyze is Knight’s Heritage (Truitt). With this sculpture, Truitt expresses the freedom of thought, exceptionable grace, and comforting warmth.
Knight’s Heritage is a wooden block-like sculpture painted with acrylic paints in three colors (see fig. 1). The crimson and yellow divisions are almost equal in width whereas the black division is narrower than the other two. Unlike the majority of minimalists who preferred using neutral tones in their works, Truitt used a more vivid palette that captured the attention of the viewers. With the help of colors, she tried to reflect the states of memory and mind, both the viewers’ and her own (Marzona 94). The variety of colors gave way to a variety of thoughts, allowing each person to see something different in each piece of art. As the majority of sculptures created during the minimalist period, Knight’s Heritage has a geometric shape scaled to the body of the viewers and placed on the floor directly and without any base. The piece was created in 1963 in the US (Truitt). The materials and techniques used by the artist make the piece look extremely impressive, and it is impossible to get rid of the feeling that there is something alive about it. The brushwork is readily apparent, and rather than distracting from the subject matter, it creates a feeling of coziness and the artist’s presence.
There is a low impasto whose function is to provide texture to the work. The piece of art is not integral to my perception of paintings or sculptures since it is rather big. The size of the sculpture is 60-3/8 x 60-3/8 x 12 inches (Harren). Being an especially large work, the sculpture made a profound impact on me as the viewer. I cannot describe this feeling as a negative one. Rather, it suggests some protection, comfort, and security. The sculpture as if invites people to approach it and view it from different angles and perspectives, and in each of the cases, it is possible to discover something new about it. Even the name of the piece of the art name is unique. While Truitt’s colleagues chose to leave their minimalist works untitled or numbered, she made hers more animated by naming them after places, things, or people (Marzona 94). The artist was sincere in each of her creations, be it sculptures, paintings, or written pieces. What makes Knight’s Heritage so memorable for me is the combination of a number of features that make it an exceptional work not only among other artists’ creative heritage but even in Truitt’s legacy. While there are many pieces presented at the exhibition that draws attention and provoke particular interest, Knight’s Heritage has some magic and magnetism that is impossible to explain. One is merely attracted to the piece and may spend many hours contemplating it and trying to reveal its secrets.
Not less important than the sculpture itself are the technical aspects employed by the artist while creating it. The straight lines and strict shapes signify the alteration in Truitt’s manner that resulted in leaving the referential style and moving to uncomplicated color combinations. This sculpture is more “an apartment block” than “a skyscraper” (Marzona 94). The shape and form of the piece are somehow unique, it being not quite square and not clearly rectangular. The colors are not too bright, but the combination of crimson, yellow, and black is rather pleasant and not garish at all.
The texture is represented via multiple layers of acrylic paint and visible brushstrokes. Truitt used such technology to make her wooden sculptures more realistic. There is no vivid focal area, but it is possible to say that the focus of the sculpture is in the middle color stripe because it is yellow and stands out from two other colors. The artist managed to create an illusion of three dimensions with the help of several techniques. First of all, the sculpture is big in size and can be observed from every side. Secondly, the use of multiple layers of paint makes it look not static. Thirdly, the brushstrokes also make the sculpture look more alive. Lastly, the choice of colors makes the viewers exposed to considering the piece of art as a multidimensional one. The composition is not dynamic and does not imply any movement. Rather, it is relaxing and stable. The choice of colors and geometric forms make it look calm and tranquilizing. Truitt challenges her audience to discover the breadth and depth of the work. Because it is minimal art, viewers are expected to guess the dimensions of the sculpture rather than be deceived by its simple forms.
The sculpture’s origin is the 1960s’ America. In that period, minimalism was one of the most popular trends in art, and Truitt was one of the brightest representatives of the style. Knight’s Heritage is one of the most famous creations of that period. As Truitt herself admitted, she loved “color in three dimensions, color set free to a point where, theoretically, the support should dissolve into pure color” (Marzona 94). Knight’s Heritage was not a single example of such artistic expression. Several other sculptures were created in a manner similar to Knight’s Heritage, such as Insurrection (1962), Flower (1969), Mid-Day (1972), and Spume (1972) (“Anne Truitt Exhibition”). Thus, the sculpture Knight’s Heritage is typical of the artist’s output. Apart from paintings and sculptures, Truitt was famous for her books in which she described her artistic life (“Anne Truitt”). The artist was dedicated to Washington, DC, where she worked alone independently from all her colleagues who preferred to stay in Los Angeles and New York (“Anne Truitt Exhibition”). Starting with 1069, Truitt established a unique collection of studio spaces in Cleveland Park, Dupont Circle, Georgetown, and Adams Morgan neighborhoods. Also, she spent three years in Tokyo where she lived and studied in the period between 1964 and 1967 (“Anne Truitt Exhibition”). Knight’s Heritage is one of the most recognizable works of the artist, and it is considered one of the preeminent pieces of minimal art created in the 1960s’ US.
The reason I chose this piece to talk about is that it has so much to tell while having so few details. The artist only used three colors and a simple form, but there is so much depth in that form and those colors. It is impossible merely to walk past Knight’s Heritage and not feel inclined to stop and think of its meaning. The longer I watched it, the more details I noticed, and the more meaning the piece of art revealed. The impression it made on me is difficult to explain in a short paragraph. First of all, it made me feel serene and comfortable. The colors are not too bright but, at the same time, they immediately draw attention. Different width of the stripes provokes to think about the artist’s choice and invites to imagine why the black part is narrower than the crimson and yellow ones. The texture of the sculpture is also quite intriguing. The brushstrokes that are visible if one looks closely enough to serve as proof of the artist’s presence in the museum as one is contemplating the exhibition.
Knight’s Heritage is undoubtedly not only one of the most famous works of Anne Truitt but also one of the greatest masterpieces of minimal art style. The artist’s preference to work alone far away from other representatives of minimalist art made it possible for her to gain outstanding popularity due to the sophisticated ideas expressed by simple forms. The choice of colors and size in Knight’s Heritage once again proves that the sculpture is aimed to evoke the freedom of expression, comfort, warmth, and grace. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the exhibition that gave me a lot of food for thought. Particularly, I cherished the opportunity to observe Anne Truitt’s Knight’s Heritage as one of the best pieces of minimalist art created in the 1960s’ America.
Works Cited
“Anne Truitt.”Anne Truitt, n.d., Web.
“Anne Truitt Exhibition Celebrates the Career of Leading Minimal Artist at National Gallery of Art, 2018.” ArtfixDaily. 2017, Web.
Harren, Natilee. “Knight’s Heritage: Karl Haendel and the Legacy of Appropriation, Episode Two, 2012.”College Art Association. Web.
Marzona, Daniel. Minimal Art. Taschen, 2004.
Truitt, Anne. Knight’s Heritage. 1963. National Gallery of Art, Washington. National Gallery of Art, Web.