Olmec

Richard Serra is known primarily for his monumental steel sculptures, constructed from massive steel sheeting with an intimidating physical presence. Yet the weighty industrial pieces can also appear surprisingly light and elegant because of how the sheets lean against one another. 

In his drawing Olmec (287 x 546 cm), Serra achieved a comparable effect with nothing more than paper and paint sticks, a kind of oil pastel. He drew two jet-black, nearly rectangular forms that evoke a powerful visual tension. The form on the left is slightly tilted, seeming to lean on the form to the right. It gives the impression of two opposing forces in conflict with one another – yet despite this instability, the forms appear to be in equilibrium. 

While the mass and weight of the forms are nearly tangible, the work also suggests movement and dynamic energy. From 1967 to 1968, Serra compiled a list of verbs describing the basic artistic interventions he used to make art. The applicable verb here is to push. Yet the featherweight paper somewhat counters the impression of mass.

From the 1970s on, drawing grew into a separate artistic practice for Serra, one that existed alongside his sculptures. His initial drawings were process-oriented and created using ink, charcoal and lithographic crayon. The works gradually became larger and larger. A breakthrough occurred in 1974 in the form of his first wall-filling abstractions, which Serra referred to as ‘installation drawings'. These stretched from floor to ceiling, could be as much as six metres wide and intentionally exceeded the limits of the paper’s edge. Through these works, Serra not only redefined drawing as a medium, but also reimagined the relationship between artwork and architecture.

The title Olmec refers to the pre-Columbian culture by the same name, who lived in what is now Mexico and are known for their massive stone sculptures. Serra often contemplated such sculptures: ‘I have more to say about the history of sculpture as a history of weight, [...] more to say about the weight of Olmec heads,’ he said in a 1988 interview with Hal Foster.