Martin Puryear

The work by Martin Puryear is unlike any I have seen before. The sheer
simplicity contradicted with a complexity in the materials and how each piece is made makes the work all the more intriguing. I was particularly struck by a few pieces of his work including Sanctuary, Greed’s Trophy, the Ladder for Booker T. Washington. These works are all very distinct, and if they were viewed separately, one might not know that they were done by the same artist.

One of my favorite pieces by Puryear is the Ladder for Booker T. Washington. I find it has a whimsical quality and the sheer sign of the ladder makes it something you cannot stop looking at. The texture appears very smooth and the design rather simple, however it seems to have many dimensions. I imagine the ladder resting on white sand and the smell of sea salt in the air. The ladder could be resting on the edge of a light tower, leading to a window that can only be accessed by this ladder.

My own experiences certainly affect how I view the work and how I interpret its meaning. For example, the piece titled “Sanctuary”. Without knowing the title, I might have gotten a completely different meaning that the one I understood.
Growing up with a religious background, I immediately related sanctuary to a religious interpretation or experience. Upon further analysis, I saw the term used on another level, as sort of an escape for reality. The cube being a “sanctuary” that was resting on a unicycle being peddled by a long pair of twigs. This part added a fun flair to the piece. As a creative person and one who likes to experience new things, I saw this as a reflection of my personality and my mindset at times. Another person would certainly see this differently based on their own experiences and thought process.

The artist uses a variety of materials in his work, including multiple different types of wood, tar, wire mesh, etc. He uses this in unique and different ways, combining all kinds of materials such as in his piece “Maroon”. This piece is an organic and
geometric shape making use of tar over wire mesh and incorporating a wood piece.