Environmental Art

I was immediately intrigued when I saw the photo of Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson. I haven’t ever really been a huge fan of art, but this is something that I think anyone can have an appreciation for. Nature is undeniably breathtaking, and no artist will ever come close to capturing the beauty that God has created for us! With that in mind, what better way to create beautiful art than incorporating the natural beauty around us? That’s exactly what Smithson did with this piece of art. This spiral is located on the edge of the Great Salt Lake and is composed of 6650 tons of black basalt, limestone, and earth. Since its construction, Spiral Jetty has been fully submerged twice, but at this time is again able to be seen from ground level. Something else I love about the idea of creating art using nature is the fact that it is constantly changing. Maybe not drastically, but changing nonetheless. Over time, the spiral has gradually become partly covered with white salt crystals that float in the water. Although the salt crystals weren’t part of the original construction of this piece, I don’t feel like it detracts from the beauty of the piece. Some might say it actually adds to it. 

I have a feeling that this is one of those pieces of art where a picture doesn’t even come close to doing it justice. There are so many possible ways one could view this piece, and I’m guessing the impact of physically experiencing it in the actual location is way beyond what we can experience looking at a photo.