Maya Lin, a famous American sculptor, and architect is primarily known among artists and critics as the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which is located in Washington, D.C. The woman was born on October 5, 1959, in the town of Athens, Ohio. She studied architecture and sculpture at Yale and later received her bachelor’s degree in these disciplines. Her senior year at the university was marked by winning a nationwide competition, which involved introducing a design concept for the mentioned earlier memorial (Kolodziejski 429). This remarkable event served Maya Lin as a significant stimulus to practice more in sculpturing and impress admirers with new installations. The present paper will pay maximum attention to the works of the known architect, discussing some of the most peculiar exemplars.
The Major Achievements of the Architect
After the introduction of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to the public in 1982, the sculptor decided to continue her studies and finished the master’s program back in 1986. The following years brought Maya Lin further fame: she created the memorial with flowing water elements in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1989 (Lin 22). With regards to her professional activity, the given masterpiece instilled even more confidence in the architect and thus, led her to use natural elements on an ongoing basis. The Wave Field (1995), Flutter (2005), and Storm King Wavefield (2009) are the works that contain water as a dominant design component. One may see how grassy landscapes transform into ocean waves while being still emphasized by the slick watery surface. The mentioned sceneries are found in Ann Arbor, Miami, and New York and attract worshippers from practically every corner of the globe.
Although Lin is mostly known for her sculptural works, she tried herself in architecture as well. As stated in the article, her work “encompasses large-scale environmental installations, intimate studio artworks, architectural works, and memorials” (“Maya Lin: “What Is Missing?”). The famous achievements in this realm include the Langston Hughes Library’s project and the Museum of Chinese in America. It is notable that despite the fact the architect’s parents originate from China, the woman never treated herself as an immigrant (Kolodziejski 433). As an American citizen, she tried to ally the two cultures by means of art. Her participation in the projects serves as evidence of complete devotion to the given purpose.
Groundswell (1993) and the Features Dragging Attention to the Artwork
Among the sculptor’s works that I find the most peculiar and attractive, Groundswell (1993), which is located in Columbus, Ohio, deservedly takes the leading position. It is, in fact, Lin’s first large-scale project consisting of more than 40 tons of recycled glass supplied by the known Ford Motor Company. The designer used to experiment with this kind of material before. However, those were mostly small-size artworks that could not be treated as the architect’s status-building achievements. As Yearling and Malone admit, “when her design was made public, it was praised by many art critics” (12). Lin spoke of the work as of her version of the Japanese Zen Garden, which only contributed to the installation’s wide popularity.
Although the architect applied such an unusual and harsh medium as automobile glass, the final wave-shaped décor elements appeared to be both calming and exciting. The process of creation involved the usage of different types of shattered glass, which allowed Lin to recapture the color of water with maximum precision. Her team poured the glass in soft mounds by means of a crane (Rubin 42). Then the designer manually put in order every formation making it look the way she thought to be the most appropriate. It is tracked with the naked eye that the installation required absolute devotion from the creator. The perfect sense of space, material, and harmony altogether turns it into an undisputed masterpiece.
As to why I consider this work to be the most interesting one, the fact that Lin has incorporated the entire Wexner Center building into her composition serves as the major convincing factor to me. The installation reflects her thorough approach as both the architect and the artist. When one closely examines the artwork, it becomes evident that the designer is capable of creating a true piece of art with practically any type of material or surface she works on at the moment. No matter what sort of project she is involved in, her vision is always comprehensive and highly analytical.
Conclusion
Maya Lin is one of the most eminent sculptors and architects of the modern age, who has managed to leave a remarkable legacy in the history of American art. Due to the peculiar design decisions, her prominent works have been dragging the increased attention of critics and artwork admirers for a number of decades. Among the installations that the designer has introduced to the broad audience, one may highlight the Langston Hughes Library’s project, the known Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and more. All of them speak of Lin as a passionate and relentless artist.
Works Cited
“Maya Lin: “What is Missing?”Arts Research Center, 2014, Web.
Kolodziejski, Lauren R. “What is Missing? Reflections on the Human-Nature Relationship in Maya Lin’s Final Memorial.” Environmental Communication, vol. 9, no. 4, 2015, pp. 428-445.
Lin, Maya. Boundaries. Simon and Schuster, 2016.
Rubin, Susan Goldman. Maya Lin: Thinking with Her Hands. Chronicle Books, 2017.
Yearling, Tricia, and Mary Malone. Maya Lin: Artist, Architect, and Environmentalist. Enslow Publishing, 2016.