Robert Perless

Robert Perless

Robert Perless reviewing one of his sculptures in his studio
Born 1938
Brooklyn, New York
Nationality USA
Known for Kinetic Art
Notable work Dreamweaver 2008, Sun Dogger 2004, Orion's Belt 2002, Solar Wind 2000, Mobius Aurora 2000, Miami Aurora 1999, True North 1999, Over the Rainbow 1998, Smoke Dance 1998, Fields Within Fields 1997, Mobius Solaris 1995, Desert Star 1992, Mobius 3 1992, Rotor Vane 1990, Quicksilver 1990, Redshift 1987, Stargon 1987, Ground Planes 1982, Williwaw 1978
Movement Kinetic Art

Robert Perless is an American artist whose particular focus is kinetic art sculptures.

Personal background

He was born Brooklyn, New York in 1938. He studied Art and Engineering at the University of Miami in Florida. After graduating, he took a temporary summer job on a farm in Iowa where he had a crash course in welding farm tools and soon after, an artistic epiphany, realizing his career would be that of Constructivist sculptor. He resides in Greenwich, Connecticut. Growing up near the ocean, he developed nautical inclinations and an affinity for the winds which constantly blow along the water. His wind-driven sculptures began in early 1970 after he and his wife Ellen took a two-year sabbatical, sailing their boat from the Canadian provinces to the Caribbean. In 1978 they collaborated on the construction of their sprawling, light-filled Greenwich, CT residence, a huge aluminium, steel and glass structure to which his state-of-the-art studio is attached. His massive works outgrew several New York studio spaces and the studio he built in Greenwich freed him from the constraints and problems of working as a large-scale sculpture in New York City.

The artist

Dutch kinetic artist Theo Jansen asserted that “Kinetic art was created by artists who pushed the boundaries of traditional, static art forms to introduce visual experiences that would engage the audience and profoundly change the course of modern art.".[1] Robert Perless is part of the Kinetic Art movement. He has created kinetic structures as public artworks for municipalities, post-secondary educational institutions as well as private sector commissioned art installations for various corporations. Robert Perless' works were discussed at the first International Kinetic Art Symposium February 9, 2013 in the presentation on the link between Kinetic Art and the generation of Electricity from the wind. His works were discussed during the Breaking The Barriers panel discussion and detailed in the presentation following the panel discussion on how his 40 years of Kinetic Art works, lead to the development of small wind turbines for use in urban environments.[2][3] Robert Perless, has been a featured artist of the Sculptors Guild showcasing his creative ability.[4]

Body of works

Perless is unique among artists producing large-scale public works because of his hands-on approach to his creation and not turning to fabricators to create portions of his work. His work speaks of the unseen energies that surround us and the fragility of our planet.[5]

While having a humanistic appeal, Perless's work is not about the human form but about intelligent aerodynamic design, sleek abstract form and the energy, light and motion that surround us. His sculptures are strikingly grand in scale while retaining the grace and balance that Perless's design, computer analysis and engineering abilities are able to achieve. Ingenuity, precision and much physical effort precede the completion of his dynamic large scale works. The works are created in his large Greenwich studio adjacent to his home, using state of the art equipment and industrial materials. The streamlined works which are razor sharp in appearance, are kinetic pieces calibrated to shift and move in the breeze. His works advance the vision of early 20th-century modern sculptors, including the Russian Constructivists, the Italian Futurists, and European and American masters who were enamored with the use of new materials and the concept of motion and speed in art and life.[6]

Reviews of selected sculptures

Orion's Belt

Robert's lifelong love of the sea, inspired his integration of sailing principles into his massive art works, making them aerodynamically sensitive so that they can move in the slightest wind. The Orion's Belt [7] sculpture in Corpus Christi, encompasses three main pieces representing the primary stars of the constellation but expands to cover the entire city through steel glyph's embedded in the pavement representing secondary stars.[8]

Sun Dagger

Sun Dagger located at the campus of Utah Valley State College,[9] in Heber City, Utah, is a type of celestial observatory and solar timepiece that showed the mechanics of the rotation of the earth around the sun, acting as a sundial and calendar showing the two solstices and two equinoxes each year. This kinetic art of welded silicon bronze, contains prisms that project rainbows in a manner that allows the piece to show the time of day and season of the year. The name Sun Dagger came from the ancient Anasazi who used sunlight to mark the harvest and planting seasons and the passage of time.[10]

Solar Wind

Solar Wind at the High Tech Campus of Salt Lake Community College, is a piece that celebrates technology on many levels from its creation of natural elements and its display of scientific principles through its polymer prisms which project rainbows throughout the site.[11]

Selected collections

His works have been acquired by museums and public galleries including;

Installation commissions

Throughout his career Robert Perless has been granted public and private sector commissions for installations. A selection of these commissions include;

Public

Corporate

Selected exhibitions

The work of Robert Perless has been exhibited in solo and group shows, a selection of which are;

Selected bibliography

Publications by Robert Perless

Articles and reviews published by Robert Perless include;

Publications about Robert Perless

Articles and reviews that exhibit or discuss the work of Robert Perless include;

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jansen quote
  2. ↑ Presentation Review
  3. ↑ 2013 International Kinetic Art Exhibit & Symposium, Boynton Beach, Florida, Feb 8 - 10, 2013
  4. ↑ Sculptors Guild
  5. ↑ Greenwich Time, Friday, September 8, 2006
  6. ↑ Greenwich Time, Monday, July 9, 2001
  7. ↑ Orion's Belt
  8. ↑ The Greenwich Citizen, Friday, September 29, 2006
  9. ↑ Utah Arts Council, Annual Report 2005 page 6
  10. ↑ The Public Art Review, Vol. 16, No. 2, Page 67
  11. ↑ The Public Art Review, Spring/Summer 2002

External images

External links

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