As artists explore the world extraordinaryly, some look back at the past and others work on the future. There are people who continue to add a little ripple to this great river of art, and finally become a river of great importance; some people are like meteors, dragging their long tails, illuminating the sky with a short but enthusiastic career. Eva Hesse died after only 34 years on earth. However, in this extremely short journey of life, she poured her inspiration into works of art and promoted the development of the art movement. She has constantly pushed the boundaries of her practice, leaving a huge mark on the art world and its history.
no title (selfportrait),eva hesse 1960,oil on canvas 45.7 x 40.6 cm /18 x 16 in © the estate of eva hesse,courtesy hauser & wirth
Heather was born in 1936 to a Jewish family in Hamburg, Germany. At that time, Germany was experiencing Nazi rule, the Jews were being persecuted in an all-round way, and the Heather family had left their homeland for the United States. After experiencing the horrors of war, the subsequent family breakdown, and the suicide of her mother, Heather's childhood was a turbulent and displaced child. However, this did not affect Heather's pursuit of art. He graduated from the New York's School of Industrial Art at the age of 16 and spent seven years studying and practicing. Heather received his bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1959. At Yale, she studied under Josef Albers and was heavily influenced by Abstract Expressionism.
no title,eva hesse,1963,oil, collage and decollage on canvas,125.7 x 125.7 cm / 491/2 x 491/2 in© the estate of eva hesse,courtesy hauser & wirth
After graduating from Yale, Hesse returned to New York, where she became friends with many other young minimalist artists, including Sol Lewitt, Donald Judd, yayoi kusama, and others. She and Saul Levitte had a very close correspondence, and a letter to Heather in 1965 not only documented their deep friendship, but also mentioned the problems that many artists would face. He encouraged Heather, "Do! Let go, be bold, do it freely! ”
legs of a walking ball,eva hesse,leeum, samsung museum of art, seoul,varnish, tempera, enamel, cord, metal, papier- cache, unkown modeling compound, particle,board, wood,45.1 x 67 x 14 cm /17 3/4 x 26 3/8 x 51/2 in © the estate of eva hesse ,courtesy hauser & wirth
In 1962, Heather married the sculptor Tom Doyle. After marriage, the two moved to Germany, where they acquired the right of residence for artists. They lived in an abandoned textile factory on the banks of the Ruhr, where many mechanical parts, tools and materials were left behind, and the angular shapes of these discarded machines and tools provided inspiration for Heather's mechanical paintings. Her first relief, Ringaround Arosie, depicts ropes, wires and earth made of cloth. This year in Germany marked a turning point in Heather's career. Sculpture became a major aspect of her work. Later, back in New York City, she began creating and experimenting with non-traditional materials such as latex, fiberglass, and plastic, which later became a feature of her work.
ringaround arosie,eva hesse 1965,the museum of modern art, new york ny, fractional and promised gift of kathy and richard s.fuld, jr.varnish, graphite, ink, enamel, cloth-covered,wire, papier-cache, unknown modeling,compound, masonite, wood,67.5 x 42.5 x 11.5 cm / 261/2 x 16 3/4 x 41/2© the estate of eva hesse,courtesy hauser & wirth
Heather has a special preference for latex. Critics have argued that her penchant for rubber as a creative medium is directly related to sex. Art critic John Keats said: "Immediacy may be one of the main reasons Heather is attracted to latex." Heather's first two works, Schema and Sequel, used this material in ways that were considered bizarre by latex manufacturers. In untitled rope peice, Heather uses industrial latex: once the latex hardens, she hangs them on the walls and ceilings with steel wire. Industrial latex is generally used in castings. Heather, on the other hand, treated it like paint, brushing it layer by layer, forming a smooth but irregular surface with jagged edges like frayed paper.
schema,eva hesse ,1967,philadelphia museum of art,philadelphia pa ,latex,106.7 x 106.7 x 3.8 cm / 42 x 42 x 11/2 in © the estate of eva hesse ,courtesy hauser & wirth
sequel,eva hesse,1967,latex, pigment, cheesecloth,installation,variable. sheet 76.2 x 81.3 cm / 30 x32 in© the estate of eva hesse,courtesy hauser & wirth
Heather's work often organizes multiple similar shapes together in different forms, forming a grid structure or cluster. She retained some defined forms of minimalist, modular, and unconventional materials, creating repetitive and complex eccentric works. Her 1968 work Contingent is a typolog of this concept. In a statement about her work, Heather described her work Hang Up this way: "... I felt the absurdity and extremes directly from between... The whole piece is absolutely rigid, with ropes surrounding the box... I like and dislike this piece because it's too extreme... It's the most absurd structure I've ever done, which makes it a good piece. ”
hang up,eva hesse,1966,the art institute of chicago, chicago il,gift of arthur keating and mr. and mrs. edward morris by exchange, april 1988,acrylic, cloth, wood, cord, steel,182.9 x 213.4 x 198.1 cm© the estate of eva hesse,courtesy hauser & wirth
Heather is considered an artist of anti-form. Her work embodies the spirit of minimalism with simple shapes, delicate lines and tightly controlled colors. The American art critic Barry Schwabsky described her work at the Camden Arts Centre in London: folding, piling, twisting, winding, folding, tiled, things in different ways of dealing with things being linked; Some materials are used unconventionally and complexly. In terms of their original texture, they seemed to have an intended state, but Heather completely subverted the way they were presented. All of her works, especially her paintings, combine complexity and simplicity in a wonderful way, showing a chilling beauty.
repetition nineteen iii,eva hesse,installation variable, 19 units,museum of modern art, new york ny, gift of anita and charles blatt, 1969,fiberglass, polyester resin © the estate of eva hesse courtesy hauser & wirth photo: abby robinson
Heather can create the most meaningful work with minimal processing, while completely changing the meaning of the material. This juxtaposition of simplicity and complexity has caused great controversy among art critics. The debate focused on which of her works should be considered complete finished products and which were sketches or models for research. Heather's paintings are often thought to be drafts of her later sculptures, but she herself denies this strong connection between paintings and sculptures.
Heather has many connections to the post-minimalist art movement. Arthur Danto distinguishes post-minimalism from minimalism, characterized by "joy and humor," "unquestionably erotic", and "non-mechanical repetition".
aught / augment,eva hesse,1968,installation variable, 4 units,installation view, ’9 at leo castelli', leo castelli,warehouse, new york ny, 1968,copyright for the harry shunk and shunk-kender photography collections is managed by the j. paul getty trust.latex, canvas, polyethylene sheeting, rope and unidentified materials, metal grommets.© the estate of eva hesse,courtesy hauser & wirth, photo: shunk-kender
Artists are mostly sensitive, and even the slightest change can make them feel turbulent. Heather's childhood was not peaceful, and her art was much related to childhood. Heather's artwork is often interpreted against the backdrop of her struggles in life: fleeing the Nazis, her parents divorcing, her mother committing suicide, her marriage failing. But the real impact of her artwork comes entirely from her creativity: her creative use of materials, her responses to the Minimalist movement, and her ability to lead the postmodernist and post-minimalist art movements. Arthur Danto links the two, commenting that she "expresses emotional confusion through aesthetic disobedience." Toying with seemingly worthless materials in the industrial ruins of a country and ultimately redefining sculpture".
no title,eva hesse,1970,whitney museum of american art, new york ny,purchased with fund from eli and edythe l.broad, the mrs. percy uris purchase fund, and the painting and sculpture committee, april,1998,latex, rope,string, wire,244 x 549 x 92 cm / 96 x 216 x 36 in © the estate of eva hesse, courtesy hauser & wirth
In the field of post-minimalist art, Heather competed much with the best male artists of his generation—a male-dominated movement. Many historians of feminist art history have noted that Heather's work has been successful in elucidating women's problems without valuablely having no political leanings. In Heather's view, women do have a natural disadvantage in size and physical strength, and this disadvantage leads to a lack of conviction for achievement—they are even afraid to affirm their own achievements. "Extraordinary strength and courage are necessary. I've been thinking about it. My determination and will are strong, but I lack self-esteem, and I never seem to get over it. Even though the art world generally regards Heather's works as feminist, she denies that her works are strictly feminist works, defends her works, and calls them women's works, without taking into account feminist views. But in an interview with the woman's art journal, she said, "Excellence has no gender."
eva hesse in her studio on the bowery, new york, 1969 © the estate of eva hesse / münchner stadtmuseum, munich / art resource, ny. photo: hermann landshoff
For Heather, the final form of the work is not the most important, and she even believes that the process of formation is more important than the finished product. At this point, her obsession with matter and process contradicts her intention to make these works timeless. In discussing the topic with collectors, she wrote, "At this point, I feel a little guilty when people want to buy it. I think they know that my work doesn't last long. Life doesn't always have to be a face, and art doesn't stay still. ”
forms larger and bolder: eva hesse drawings
2019.11.06–2020.02.16
museumsplatz 1, 1070 vienna, austria
no title,eva hesse,1964,collage, gouache, watercolor, ink and graphite on paper 29.4 x 42.1cm /115/8 x16 5/8 in © the estate of eva hesse allen memorial art museum, oberlin college, oberlin, oh. gift of helen hesse charash, 1983.106.1
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