Bowdoin College Museum of Art

Preview image of work. ink and graphite on paper, Untitled #57 26310

2013.21.261

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Untitled #57

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Artist

James Siena (Oceanside, California, 1957 - )

Title

Untitled #57

Creation Date

1987

Century

late 20th century

Dimensions

11 x 8 1/2in. (27.94 x 21.59 cm)

Object Type

drawing

Creation Place

North America, United States

Medium and Support

ink and graphite on paper

Credit Line

Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection

Copyright

This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s Copyright Terms and Conditions.

Accession Number

2013.21.261

“One thing that distinguished them from other collectors was that they wanted to see everything,” noted James Siena about Herb and Dorothy Vogel. Intrigued by the role of rules for the creation of visual phenomena, Siena typically commits himself to a series of guidelines before creating drawings. Working within a series of self-imposed contraints, or “visual alogrithms,” Siena repeats his units indefinitely, subjecting them to the variations inspired by the parameters he has developed. Describing his goal, Siena explained: “at a certain point I wanted to make drawings and works that act as machines. The way they act as machines is you have to find your way into them and find your way out of them. As you undo the making of them they come to life.”