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DONALD JUDD

 

Mound, Clique, Flow

From ancient and sacred geometry arose Gertrude’s “Portraits and Repetition.”
Deliberate in each matter of fragmented melody,
Can form reach its opulence through endurance and reiteration?

The interval of Untitled, 1991,
However brilliant and succulent the red sheen of the almost uniformly
Weathered steel may appear,
 In its accord with the painted yellow lacquer,
In each of the four square configurations,
It holds the negative space like a silent crucifix.

In near distance, one member of the family
Denies, conceals, dividing the square to the divine multiplicity.
Where does one negotiate with one’s torso in this perfect symmetry?

“Specific Objects” objectifies the silence of counting.
Counting to formulate variations of vertical and horizontal repose.

It’s sublime in one-quarter left on one side.
Perplex beauty of the same yellow lacquer on the other side.
They keep us from entering this generous maze.
Yes, it’s measured to the middle of her ribcage,
Equating someone else’s feet standing and moving about.
They’re in complete harmony with their spatial flow, clique, and mound.

 

Donald Judd, Untitled, 1991. Cor-ten steel and yellow paint. Four units, each: 39 3/8 x 39 3/8 x 19 11/16 inches. Art © Judd Foundation. Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY; courtesy David Zwirner, New York/London.

 

Installation view, Donald Judd, David Zwirner, New York, 2015. Art © Judd Foundation. Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Courtesy David Zwirner, New York/London.

 

Contributor

Phong Bui

Phong H. Bui is the Publisher and Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Rail.

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The Brooklyn Rail

DEC 15-JAN 16

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