A sculpture at the front entrance of campus underwent reconditioning work this fall, with finishing touches set to take place when the weather warms up next spring.
Master Moon by Jules Olitski was loaned to the College in January 2012 by the artist’s daughter, Lauren Poster Olitski. It was initially installed on the lower quad but was moved to its current location in 2015, when construction began on the Nicole Goodner MacFarlane Center for Science, Technology and Innovation.
Rodrigo Nava, who is also a sculptor, is doing the reconditioning work. He spent the better part of a week scraping and power washing the steel components, as well as applying some proprietary treatments and techniques to bring out the natural patina of Master Moon, as Olitski intended.
“[The sculpture] is not going to look exactly how it looked the day it was made. And it’s not supposed to,” Nava explained. “The patina is a patina that Jules wanted on all of his pieces. So, we’re trying to keep with the consistency of his work.”
Nava estimates that he has restored nearly a dozen of Olitski’s works. He says he appreciates the negative space of the pieces. “They create these environments that you can sort of imagine yourself moving through and experiencing,” he said.
Landmark College Visual Arts Professor Humberto Ramirez recalled the initial conversations about bringing Master Moon to campus. It was a team effort with former faculty member, Jennifer Morris, to work with Lauren in selecting the piece. He explained that while Olitski was better known for color field and landscape painting, the minimalist sensibility of Master Moon made it a “masterpiece of late twentieth century art.”
“This is a part of Vermont’s art history,” said Ramirez, noting Olitski’s stint as a member of the faculty at Bennington College in the 1960s. “People of his stature are very few and far between in terms of Vermont.”
Visit the Jules Olitski Foundation web site to learn more about the artist.
