WP-3 Precursory Assignment 4

In this the fourth pre-writing assignment for Writing Project 3, the historical and cultural context of the sculpture "Arch Falls", created by Bryan Hunt, will be analyzed.  Hunt is known as a modernist sculptor and focuses many of his works on interpreting nature.  "Arch Falls" is a "gestural" perspective of a waterfall, as if the cascading water and falls were removed from the cliff and river above that create such a natural phenomena.  Aesthetically, the sculpture is made of cast bronze and is a representational form of the falls.

Art objects, and art in general, are devices whose argument speaks differently to each person who views it. As soon as a sculpture is created, it offers itself to the opinions and judgement of the critics.  Furthermore, representational art by definition, needs only characteristics and aspects that would render the piece recognizable.  "Arch Falls" may have the general shape of a waterfall and the textures of of water and rocks, but the fact that the falls stand alone clearly defines that this could never be takes as a photograph.

Art has various meanings dependent upon the culture and the type of art present.  One possible argument or purpose that may be pertinent is that art is a recording or to capture a moment in time.  Art such as "Arch Falls" gives its audience the chance to see the backside of a waterfall, something that would normally never be possible.  The fundamental definition of art is something that causes controversy or discussion due to the complexity of its nature.  From this definition, we can derive that art, especially a representational art object such as this one, has multiple meanings and whose meaning would be impossible for anyone to predict (even the creator).  It is for this reason that Bryan Hunt's "Arch Falls" may have been created for simply an interpretation of a waterfall, but by now has evolved into something much more.  Namely, a chance to view freedom and escape in nature itself.

WP-3 Precursory Assignment 3

In my previous Precursory Writing Assignments on "Arch Falls" by Bryan Hunt, I've been focusing on the structural appeals and the more specifically the subject matter of the piece.  Yet, there still lies a multitude of rhetorical elements that have yet to be touched on within all art objects that we have yet to discuss.  Our ultimate goal, comprehension of the sculpture's argument, can only be achieved by analyzing all aspects of a work of art such as this.

One of the finer elements I have yet to key on in my previous post that is one of the more subtle characteristics of this piece is the texture of the falls themselves.  The stern, rigid values of the rocks and the free-flowing, organic nature of the water offer an intriguing representation for the audience.  Though the sculpture stands still and doesn't move at all, the texture of the piece gives us the perception that the falls are doing just that, falling.  This sense of motion that is derived from the textural values of the piece appeal connects the audiences further and allows them a chance to see the structural aspects of a waterfall.  The cultural contexts of waterfalls and offer an appeal to the audience's pathos.  The emotions of water in nature bring about emotions such as freedom and an escape from the stresses of everyday life.

Furthermore, the statue is made of cast bronze, a metal element found in nature.  The bronze was undoubtably chosen because Hunt was aware that this piece would be displayed outdoors and therefore would have to stand up to the harsh realities of Mother nature.  Metals by nature, rust and are corroded by water, yet in this sense the bronze is what makes up the cascading water.  The bronze waterfall offers a still frame of what in nature can never normally be frozen or stopped.  It's for these reasons that "Arch Falls" creates a paradox of the bronze, which is normally destroyed by water, now representing a never-ceasing flow of water, which offers for the audience a chance to bear witness to perspectives of a waterfall that could never normally be seen.

WP-3 Precursory Assignment 2

When first viewing the sculpture "Arch Falls", which was created by Bryan Hunt (circa 1980-81), the audience's attention is immediately captivated by the rather large gap located halfway down the front of the object.  This forces the audience to place themselves in the shoes of the sculptor and wonder, just what exactly lies beyond the rushing falls.  The piece as a whole is a rather abstract interpretation of a waterfall, yet by both title and the overall shape of the object we know immediately just what exactly it represents.  The intriguing nature of the void and the simplistic rendering of the falls offers an appeal to the audience's logos but not in the traditional sense.  This sort of higher thinking requires the audience to use deductive reasoning and rationalize the meaning and the argument that the piece creates.  Pablo Picasso once said, "I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else."  Art's purpose is for its viewers to think beyond the object in front of them and to question how certain works make them feel.  The question now is, what does "Arch Falls" make us think about and feel?

The background information on "Arch Falls" may be hard to come by but it is indeed rather interesting.  The piece was actually one of the ones that had been removed from the Sculpture Garden on the east side of Sheldon Art Gallery after being originally installed during the museum's renovations.  The Sheldon Art Gallery's pamphlet concerning the Sculpture Garden itself had this to say of "Arch Falls":  "Hunt is known for “gestural” bronze sculptures, notably waterfalls that convey the ephemeral effects of rippling, fluid surfaces in solid bronze."  The bronze medium gives the piece a professional feel which appeals to the audience's pathos.  At the same time, the sculpture is clearly made by hand, as indicated by the impressions left after the piece's conception, and once again renders itself to the abstract value of the work as a whole.  This creates an interesting paradox in which the art dances the fine line of being both credible visually and yet abstract in nature.  The sculpture is by no means a realist's work, but requires the audience to draw from their personal experience to imagine if these cascading falls where real and they could view them as simply as they do this bronze representation.  The fact that the sculpture is hand made should also further appeal to the audience's pathos because that sort artistic choice calls for the audience to pay particular attention to the emotion of the piece and specifically how they view it.  The bronze tint and textures give the art a mysterious tone.


This being our third writing assignment, I feel both prepared yet interested as to how everything will shake out without doing rhetorical analysis of the work.  Writing this letter will strengthen my analytical and rhetorical skills, but also my writing abilities as a whole.  Overall, Hunt's "Arch Falls" is an abstract representation that appeals to it's audience's pathos through the hand-made value and bronze medium which argues that what lies beyond and in the future should be our ultimate goal.  Well that's my opinion at least, speaking in a rhetorical sense.