The Sculpture of Ursula Von Rydingsvard

Rating:
Summary: Personal or Professional
Review: I was arrested in my steps the first time I saw Ms. von Rydingsvard's powerful sculptures. Without any "education" about this artist or her work, I was moved. I bought this book in the museum gift shop right away. Unfortunately, it is primarily useful for giving its readers many phtographs. This is no replacement for experiencing the sculptures in person, but that is not always possible. The pictures will give the reader a feel for the breadth of this artist's body of work and a longing for the depth of an actual encounter. I found some of the text useful, but unfortunately there is a tendency to glom on to the personal history of the artist to buy an unassailable "importance" for work that speaks quite nicely for itself. It seems that many female artists are "reviewed" this way. I do not believe the authors intended this outcome. They seemed to share my respect for von Rydingsvard as a professional, nevertheless the dwelling in her personal life serves to tie her sculpture to a ready-made context that narrows viewers' focus and ultimately trivializes the WORK. The details of von Rydingsvard's life are riviting, but when there are so many valid aesthetic approaches to her work (that evoke tremendous emotional response), I have to wonder about the sexism in the academics of art. As an aside, I must say that this book is much less guilty in this regard than the Madison Art Center's exhibit catalogue (1998) about von Rydingsvard. I rated this book at four stars because real ART always transcends the pedantics that surround it and you owe it to yourself to discover THIS ART one way or another.