Untitled (Vessel)
Howard Werner
(American, born in 1951)
1994
Medium/TechniqueCarved apple
DimensionsOverall: 32.7 x 55.6 x 21.9 cm (12 7/8 x 21 7/8 x 8 5/8 in.)
Credit LineGift of Anita and Ronald Wornick
Accession number2011.1671
On View
Not on viewClassificationsWood Carvings / Turnings
Collections
Using a chainsaw on large sections of trees, Werner creates pieces through direct carving: he works without a model and responds to the wood as he alters it. The rough chainsaw marks accentuate the juxtaposition between raw and finished, highlighting the natural beauty in the irregularities of wood. Though Werner’s pieces may evoke familiar utilitarian shapes like the vessel, he conceives of the forms as sculptural. Major influences include Isamu Noguchi’s and Constantin Brancusi’s Modernist sculptures, as well as carvings from Africa and Oceania.
Provenance2011, gift of Ron and Anita Wornick to the MFA. (Accession Date: September 21, 2011)CopyrightReproduced with permission.
about 1880–90
about 1900