thinking about reliefs

I've been thinking about sculptural wall reliefs lately. They sort of remind me of painting... this idea of being confined to the wall, particularly in a contained rectangular form. Of course, not all reliefs are rectangular, but the ones I have included in this post are. I think that by choosing to be contained both the rectangular wall on a rectangular surface, these sculptors are doing something quite interesting. It could be said that when a wall relief goes beyond the rectangle, it becomes an installation, but while on the surface, it remains an object. A 3-dimensional object that, unlike most, cannot be experienced "in the round."

The artists I've included in this post are all primarily sculptors that have confined themselves by making more or less 2-dimensional sculptures. Of course, there are also the painters (Yves Klein, Robert Ryman, etc.) who have chosen to go beyond the canvas by making 3-dimensional paintings. I think these would provide for an interesting comparison, but perhaps that is for another day...

Gunther Ueker

Lee Bontecou

Anish Kapoor

Eva Hesse

Chakaia Booker

Kathy Kelly

Lauren Frances Moore