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Robert Smithson

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Such an intuitive approach to crystal or solid-state structure exists to a certain extent in the works by artists involved in "The New Abstraction", such as Larry Poons, will Insely, Peter Hutchinson, Frank Stella, Charles Hinman, and Sol Lewitt.  A resistance to watery and gaseous concepts seem to relate these artist together.  A mixture of ice-cold aloofness and ecstatic timelessness exists in such an approach.  Judd shares this abstract passion.  In other words, his gemlike exactness seems always to be on the verge of exploding.  But a powerful suspense factor prevents this from happening.  

Judd bought a purple Florite crystal at the World's Fair.  He likes the "uncreated" look of it and it's impenetrable color.  John Chamberlain, upon learning of Judd's interest in such a color, suggested he go to the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Company and get some "Hi-Fi" purple lacquer.  Judd did this and "self" sprayed some of his new work with it.  Judd prefers the hard surface of sprayed paints on metal to the soft surface of "soaked" Liquitex on canvase. [[strikethrough]]As a matter of fact, almost everything on canvase, strikes him as rather Moneesy".[[/strikethrough]]

A reversible up and down quality was an important feature of the work which Judd showed in the IIII San Paulo Bienele.  It was impossible to tell what is hanging from what, or what is supporting what.  Ups are downs and downs are ups.  An uncanny materiality inherent in the surface engulfs the basic structure.  Both surface and structure exist simultaneously in the suspended condition.  What is outside vanishes to meet the inside, while what is inside vanishes to meet the outside.  The concept of "anti-matter" overruns, and fills everything, making these very definite works verge on the notion of disappearance.  The important phenomenon is always the basic lack of substance at the core of the "facts".  The more one trys to grasp the surface-structure, the more baffled one gets.  It seems to have no natural equivalent to anything physical, yet all it brings to mind is physicality.