Arts of wonder : enchanting secularity--Walter de Maria, Diller + Scofidio, James Turrell, Andy Goldsworthy

222 Pages·2012·2.273 MB·English

by  Goldsworthy, Andy, Turrell, James, Kosky, Jeffrey L., De Maria, Walter, Goldsworthy, Andy, Turrell, James

arts of wonder
religion and postmodernism
A series edited by Thomas A. Carlson
recent books in the series
Secularism in Antebellum America,
by John Lardas Modern (2011)
The Figural Jew: Politics and Identity in Postwar French Thought,
by Sarah Hammerschlag (2010)
The Indiscrete Image: Infi nitude and Creation of the Human,
by Thomas A. Carlson (2008)
Islam and the West: A Conversation with Jacques Derrida,
by Mustapha Chérif (2008)
The Gi(cid:2) of Death, Second Edition, and Literature in Secret,
by Jacques Derrida (2008)
Enchanting Secularity—
walter de maria,
diller + scofidio,
james turrell,
andy goldsworthy jeffrey l. kosky
The University of Chicago Press
chicago & london
Jeff rey L. Kosky is professor and head of the Department of Religion at
Washington and Lee University in Virginia.
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 2013 by The University of Chicago
All rights reserved. Published 2013.
Printed in the United States of America
21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 1 2 3 4 5
isbn-13: 978-0-226-45106-0 (cloth)
isbn-13: 978-0-226-45108-4 (e-book)
isbn-10: 0-226-45106-2 (cloth)
isbn-10: 0-226-45108-9 (e-book)
The University of Chicago Press gratefully acknowledges the
generous support of Washington and Lee University toward the
publication of this book.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kosky, Jeff rey L.
Arts of wonder : enchanting secularity : Walter de Maria, Diller +
Scofi dio, James Turrell, Andy Goldsworthy / Jeff rey L. Kosky.
pages cm. — (Religion and postmodernism)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-226-45106-0 (cloth : alkaline paper)
isbn 0-226-45106-2 (cloth : alkaline paper)
isbn 978-0-226-45108-4 (e-book)
isbn 0-226-45108-9 (e-book)
1. Light in art. 2. Light art. 3. Art and religion. 4. Earthworks
(Art). 5. De Maria, Walter, 1935– Lightning fi eld. 6. Blur
Building (Expo.02, Switzerland). 7. Turrell, James—Criticism
and interpretation. 8. Goldsworthy, Andy, 1956– —Criticism and
interpretation. I. Title. II. Series: Religion and postmodernism.
n8219.l5k67 2012
709.05'1— dc23
2012017785
o This paper meets the requirements of ansi / niso
z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).
To Claire Sabine Kosky and Oscar Irving Kosky

contents
List of Figures ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xvii
(In Place of an) Introduction:
A Picture of Modern Disenchantment 1
1 Walter De Maria, The Lightning Field:
Seeing a Flickering Light 15
2 Diller + Scofi dio, Blur: The Cloud That Does Not
Part When We See the Light 59
3 James Turrell, Works with Light: Seeing the
Light That Does Not Illuminate 91
4 James Turrell, Skyspaces: Opening an Eye to
the Sky 111
5 Andy Goldsworthy, Works: To Dwell Creatively
with Earth and Sky, Wind and Water 131
Conclusions 169
Notes 179
Works Cited 189
Index 195

figures
1. Frontispiece from Vernün(cid:9) ige Gedancken von Go(cid:10) . . . (1720) xx
2. Title page from La Lumière électrique (1882) 11
3. Frontispiece from Vernün(cid:9) ige Gedancken von Go(cid:10) . . . (1720) 11
4. Walter De Maria, The Lightning Field (1977) 16
5. Frontispiece from Vernün(cid:9) ige Gedancken von Go(cid:10) . . . (1720) 19
6. Title page from La Lumière électrique (1882) 19
7. Walter De Maria, The Lightning Field (1977) 19
8. Anon., serpent as lightning (n.d.) 23
9. Anon., Hopi schoolboy’s drawing (n.d.) 23
10. Anon. (Aby Warburg?), “Uncle Sam” (n.d.) 24
11. Anon., Aby Warburg in a headdress (n.d.) 26
12. Anon., Aby Warburg and a friend (n.d.) 27
13. Walter De Maria, The Lightning Field (1977) 55
14. Antonio Allegri Correggio, The Assumption of the Virgin
(ca. 1524–1530) 62
15. Antonio Allegri Correggio, The Vision of St. John the Evangelist
(ca. 1520–1521) 62
16. School of Gio(cid:28) o, St. Francis in Ecstasy (ca. 1298) 63
17. Diller + Scofi dio, Blur (2002) 64
18. Satellite photograph of earth at night (n.d.) 75
19. Antonio Allegri Correggio, The Assumption of the Virgin
(ca. 1524–1530) 83
20. Cynthia Hooper, Red Cube of Light (2011) 93
21. Cynthia Hooper, Blue Wall or Doorway (2011) 93
22. Cynthia Hooper, Blue Volume of Light at a Window (2011) 97
23. Cynthia Hooper, Red Cube of Light (2011) 98
24. Cynthia Hooper, Blue Wall or Doorway (2011) 106
25. Cynthia Hooper, Blue Volume of Light at a Window (2011) 108
26. Frontispiece from Vernün(cid:9) ige Gedancken von Go(cid:10) . . . (1720) 114
27. Title page from La Lumière électrique (1882) 114