Jacqueline Jennette Professor Martha Sullivan 12/2013

Presence of Light

The relationship between light and color is an inseparable bond. Without the spectrum of light, there can be no visual perception of color. James Turrell, a renowned American artist and thinker, has acknowledged this relationship and gone beyond paint and canvas to evoke emotion, awaken thought, and showcase light and form through the isolation of color within space. Turrell is famous for the emotion or feeling that his work radiates. Unique to Turrell, his pieces are typically spaces within a large structure that are lit either natural or artificially (Sinnreich). The lighting is typically colored, creating a certain ambiance within the space. Walking into an area lit by Turrell can cause a bit of disorientation, but can also have a very calming effect. He typically uses a uniform hue or a hue gradient from light to dark, creating stability within a medium as intangible as light. One work which Turrell is well known for is a Quaker meeting house in Houston, Texas titled One Accord. By isolating a piece of the sky within a space for singular view through the ceiling, worshippers can greet light, and therefore greet color (Rech 10). He has taken light and the color of the sky and separated it in a way that makes the viewer feel as though they are close enough to touch the sky. Every hour and each minute of the day, the color of the sky varies, and when it is isolated in a way like One Accord, viewers can more easily take notice of the skys many overlooked natural hues. In a short video by PBS titled James Turrell in Spirituality, one of the members of the meeting house said Youre never quite prepared for

what the light is going to do to you. This statement could not be more accurate for the work of James Turrell. The bond of light and color can easily put an onlooker into almost a dreamlike state. James Turrell utilizes color to highlight the often underestimated presence of light in the area. Aten Reign, one of Turrells most noted works, was recently rendered in the Guggenheim. It is a large, layered space which is lit by daylight and artificial LED lighting. Unlike the natural lighting Turrell uses for some of his work, the LED lights allow for full color control. This space in particular shows a huge variety of rich, vibrant colors that a viewer wouldnt necessarily expect to be surrounded by within such a large, empty space (Guggenheim). Turrell uses light and color to fill an otherwise empty space, and in turn evoke thought. Many viewers begin to see light as a tangible, solid component of the space because of the strong presence of hue. Tint and shade variations occur very often in the work of James Turrell. They naturally happen in Turrells many skyscapes as the earth revolves around its axis, bringing daylight in and out. This occurrence, along with the isolation of a single viewpoint of the sky, allows for viewers to perceive the atmosphere and Universe in an entirely new way. By creating a different perspective on natural color and light in the sky, Turrell successfully awakens the thoughts of viewers and helps them realize that earth is what is moving, not the sky above (PBS). Turrells work highlights the relationship a person has with the atmosphere on a large scale. Through the isolation of natural light, he points out that the Universe is not something in the far off distance, but instead that we all are part of the vast outer space. Variations of tint and shade also occur in Turrells indoor, artificially lit work. In these spectacles such as Red Around or Blue Walk, not only has Turrell experimented with tint

and shade, but also color gradient. This gradient adds another layer of depth and dimension, almost resembling an optical illusion (Turrell 30). In both of the pieces mentioned above, Turrell utilized complimentary colors from opposite sides of the color wheel. These colors provide the pieces with contrast and more impactful visual interest as viewers physically moved through those spaces. James Turrell is also famous for his Cross Corner Projections where there appears to be a form floating in midair amongst color and light. The form itself is made up of planes of light and due to artificial lighting, these planes appear in any color of Turrells choosing (Guggenheim). Many are pictured in white, perhaps because white is a typical color of purity and simplicity, but some can also be found in bright blues, reds, purples, yellows, and even neon-like hue variations. Where every day light is typically clear or may emit just a bit of yellowish or blue, Turrells light seems incredibly concentrated because of his choice to use color. Turrell studied perceptual psychology in college, so he is an expert when it comes to the way in which all people view things (Smith). He wanted to alter peoples perception of light, form, and the Universe and successfully did so through his isolation and saturation of color within a space. Many of Turrells first pieces were complete illusions. He loved to mess with the mind and turn the everyday thinker upside down. James Turrells ideas of form, light, and color and the relation of these three led to incredibly thought-provoking pieces of work. Where the presence of light had never truly been showcased, Turrell made a point to highlight the solidarity of light in our lives by altering the way in which we perceive it. Optical illusions, isolated skyscapes, and huge areas of saturated color are just a few ways in which James Turrell conveyed the relationship of light and hue. This inseparable bond between the visual perception of color and the presence of light will

always be a fascinating phenomenon, and the unique work of James Turrell truly showcases the infinite ways in which people can perceive form, light, and color.

Works Cited

Guggenheim: "James Turrell." Guggenheim Museum. N.p., 21 6 2013. Web. 1 Dec 2013. <http://web.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/turrell/>. This source is a website highlighting much of James Turrells well-known work and promoting his recent showcase at the museum. It does a great job of providing useful biographical information as well as a good amount of visual examples of work by Turrell. I used this sources many visual examples to pull information about Turrells work with color and light into my essay.

PBS Segment: James Turrell in "Spirituality". N.d. Video. PBS. Web. 1 Dec 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/james-turrell>. This source is a video segment about James Turrell and some of his work. It was interesting because it also showed the reaction of many viewers of the work within spaces Turrell had created. I used this source to quote one of the viewers in order to show first-hand experience of his work.

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This source is a book made up of an interview with James Turrell paired next to photos of his work. By having an interview format, the source is helpful in understanding exactly what Turrells purpose was. I used this source to get James Turrells point of view and purpose regarding his meeting house piece titled One ccord.

Sinnreich, Ursula, and James Turrell. James Turrell: Geometrie Des Lichts. Ostfildern, Germany: Hatje Cantz, 2009. Print. This source was also a book. It was in another language, yet the photos were incredibly helpful in understanding what James Turrell did. I used this source to give a broad explanation of what Turrells work typically consists of.

Smith, Roberta. "New Light Fixture for a Famous Rotunda." New York Times 20 06 2013, Weekly n. pag. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/21/arts/design/james-turrell-plays-withcolor-at-the-guggenheim.html>. This source was an online newspaper article from the New York Times. It gave background on James Turrell which I used to explain why he was so interested in the individual perception of light and color.

Turrell, James, Julia B. Turrell, and Craig E. Adcock. Occluded Front, James Turrell. Los Angeles: Fellows of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 1985. Print. This source is another book. It showed even more great examples of James Turrell work and also talked about the processes in which some of his pieced were created. I used this book to talk about a few of his pieces in regards to color variation and depth within empty space.