Untitled (L's)
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''Untitled (L's)'', a public sculpture by American artist David Von Schlegell, is located on the
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Indiana ( ) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the south and southeast, and the Wabash Riv ...
campus, which is near downtown
Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
,
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
. The sculpture is located just north of Joseph Taylor Hall in a grassy courtyard adjacent to Michigan Street. Cavanaugh hall frames the courtyard to the west, the library and Business building are east of the courtyard. This sculpture was created in 1978, and installed at IUPUI in 1980. The sculpture is a
Minimalist In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...
composition of three identical steel L's. The L structures have a vertical beam that is tall and a horizontal beam of . The beams themselves are high and wide.


Description

The ''Untitled (L's)'' sculpture has three identical components and was fabricated by a yacht manufacturer in New York state. Each vertical beam measures tall and each horizontal beam is long. The beams themselves are in height and wide. Each component has a structural steel core with an layer of brushed stainless steel sheeting over the top. The sculpture was installed in deep
concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...
beds, ensuring that it will not blow over due to a storm or heavy winds. The stainless surface had been finished such that the light reflecting of it makes the surface appear uneven and textural. While the sculpture consists of three separate components, it functions as one, singular Minimalist sculpture.


Information

The ''Untitled (L's)'' was realized as a result of a suggestion made by the former Secretary of IUPUI Faculty Council, Phillis Danielson. Von Schlegell's piece was selected from 100 submissions to be a permanent part of the IUPUI collection. A council of well-respected individuals in the art community selected the Untitled (L's). This committee included former Dean of the
Herron School of Art Herron School of Art and Design, officially IU Herron School of Art and Design, is a public art school at Indiana University–Indianapolis (IUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is a professional art school and has been accredited by the National As ...
, Arthur Weber, Former Curator of the
Indianapolis Museum of Art The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is an encyclopedic art museum located at Newfields, a campus that also houses Lilly House, The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, the Garden at Newfields and more. It is located at the corner of No ...
, Diana Lazarus, and
Edward Larrabee Barnes Edward Larrabee Barnes (April 22, 1915 – September 22, 2004) was an American architect. His work was characterized by the "fusing fModernism with vernacular architecture and understated design." Barnes was best known for his adherence to st ...
, the master architect for IUPUI at the time. The ''Untitled (L's)'' sculpture was paid for by the
National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...
under the "Works of Art for Public Spaces" program. The project cost $120,000 and five years to complete. The National Endowment for the Arts donated $50,000 to the project, the rest was paid for by private donations. The project was installed in 1980, and dedicated on October 7. This sculpture is designed on the theme of the
Pythagorean Theorem In mathematics, the Pythagorean theorem or Pythagoras' theorem is a fundamental relation in Euclidean geometry between the three sides of a right triangle. It states that the area of the square whose side is the hypotenuse (the side opposite t ...
. This theorem comes from geometry and states that square of the
hypotenuse In geometry, a hypotenuse is the side of a right triangle opposite to the right angle. It is the longest side of any such triangle; the two other shorter sides of such a triangle are called '' catheti'' or ''legs''. Every rectangle can be divided ...
of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. The three L structures are laid out so that the base point of the vertical columns form a large right triangle. The distance between the three points are , , and . This gives the right triangle the classic 3:4:5
ratio In mathematics, a ratio () shows how many times one number contains another. For example, if there are eight oranges and six lemons in a bowl of fruit, then the ratio of oranges to lemons is eight to six (that is, 8:6, which is equivalent to the ...
. The school found this theme appropriate, seeing as it represented a tradition of math, logic, and wisdom at IUPUI. The artist intended for
landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...
to be a part of the sculpture as well. Before the installation of Von Schlegell's sculpture, the courtyard was two acres of concrete. Von Schlegell saw to it that grass was planted and that there be trees and bushes surrounding the courtyard. Originally, Von Schlegell had one path that stretched diagonal across the courtyard, dividing it into two traingluar shapes. This has since been modified to accommodate more walking paths. The landscaping was meant to contrast his piece, accentuating the natural and manmade elements within the space.


Controversy

The ''Untitled (L's)'' sculpture was not very popular at the time of installation. Many students, including the student body president, mistakenly believed that the sculpture had been funded with the university's budget. In actuality, the funds came from the National Endowment for the Arts and private donations through the
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...
Foundation. Other artists within the community criticized Von Schlegell, accusing him of compromising his vision as an artist. The critics believed that Von Schlegell's piece was not in fact about the pythagorean theorem, logic, wisdom, or any other virtues of the university. Rather, they thought he forced that premise on the sculpture, believing it increased his chances at being chosen.


Artist

David Von Schlegell (1920–1992) was born in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
. He studied at the
University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
in the 1940s, and then entered the
Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
. He made his return to art when he joined the
Art Students League The Art Students League of New York is an art school in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study f ...
in New York. By the 1960s, Von Schlegell had established himself as a prominent sculptor. He worked mostly with
aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
, steel, and wood. The inspiration for his industrial materials came from his love of aircraft and boats. At the time of the installation of ''Untitled (L's)'', Von Schlegell was working as a faculty of the
Yale School of Fine Arts The Yale School of Art is the art school of Yale University. Founded in 1869 as the first professional fine arts school in the United States, it grants Masters of Fine Arts degrees to students completing a two-year course in graphic design, painti ...
. In addition to sculpting, Von Schlegell also made paintings and drawings. After dedicating his ''Untitled (L's)'', he also had an exhibition in IUPUI's Lecture Hall and at the Herron School of Art displaying his photographs and drawings from the project. He died on October 6, 1992, in New Haven, Connecticut, at the age of 72. Other works from David Von Schlegell are located at the following locations: *
Storm King Art Center Storm King Art Center, commonly called Storm King and named for nearby Storm King Mountain, is an open-air museum in New Windsor, New York. It contains perhaps the largest collection of contemporary outdoor sculptures in the United States. F ...
, New York *Boston *Miami Lakes, Florida *Duluth, Minnesota *Nasa Memorial to Robert Goddard at
Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research uni ...
, Worcester, Massachusetts *Saudi Arabian Royal Navy Headquarters *Yeatmen's Cove Sculpture Project, Cincinnati *Tulsa, Oklahoma International Airport *San Francisco *Hartford *''Marina'' Miami, Ohio *''Westward'' Cincinnati, Ohio *
Whitney Museum of Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a modern and contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. The institution was foun ...
*
Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase th ...


References


External links


Installation and historic photos of the sculpture being installed
{{IUPUIPublicArt Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis Public Art Collection Outdoor sculptures in Indianapolis 1980 sculptures Steel sculptures in Indiana