Moon, Variation 1

Name/Title

Moon, Variation 1

Entry/Object ID

2024.3.3

Description

Mid-20th-c. bronze sculpture that is polished black with a dual patina consisting of two interlocked, warped circles.

Artwork Details

Medium

Bronze, Bronze patina

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Robert Engman

Role

Artist

Time Period

20th Century

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Sculpture

Height

13-1/2 in

Width

8-3/4 in

Depth

9 in

Dimension Description

Base

Height

9 in

Width

9 in

Interpretative Labels

Label

Engman’s original name for Moon was “First Piece.” The sculpture was among the first works Engman produced using what would become his signature technique of warping metal shapes using hammers. He was encouraged to explore this by his teacher and mentor Josef Albers (1888-1976). Engman later recalled this experience, stating “I tried to simplify my approach and thought, what would happen if I simply bent this thing, and if I bent it, what would happen if I bent another one just like it and stuck them together? It wasn’t a question of thinking of forms as much as it was a consequence of the process.”

Label Type

Credit Line

Label

Label written by Ava Crosby, ‘26

Label Type

Credit Line

Label

Saint Joseph’s University purchase with funds granted by the Daniel W. Dietrich II Foundation. With deepest gratitude to the Porter/Engman family.