T
homas Schütte’s deft command of form, texture and finish is self-evident in this large-scale sculpture from 1998, You Are My Moon. He embraces the material nature of ceramic, creating orblike shapes reminiscent of igneous matter. While the bulbous forms are richly colored - in hues of crimson, cerulean and phthalo blue - and brightly glazed, each varies in tonal and textural effect creating a range of smooth and uneven surfaces. Some forms drip or crack with dried paint while others are perfectly polished with a mirror-like finish that reflects passersby. This contrast, paired with the artist’s intention to arbitrarily arrange the spheres, underscores the organic nature of the work. As such, the configuration of all eleven pieces creates a planetary illusion – as if the sculpture is suspended in orbit. Tauntingly tangible, You Are My Moon invokes a desire to touch or even sit. As viewers circumvent the work, new forms come into view at every vantage point.
Under his tutelage at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in the 1970s, Gerhard Richter inspired Thomas Schütte to take a bricolage approach to art. Today, Schütte continuously experiments with new materials, techniques, and scale in an effort to reinvent his practice and grow the scope of his oeuvre. This early body of work diverts from his characteristically somber subject matter – commonly featuring mutilated forms and distorted figures that draw on German history – to evoke a sense of ebullience and celestial romanticism. The present work furthers the mystique of the artist’s repertoire and reveals a more playful side of Schütte. After first exhibiting at Marian Goodman Gallery in 1999 in his show, The Sun The Moon The Stars, You Are My Moon was acquired by Sherry and Joel Mallin and has remained in their collects ion ever since.
