VAM galleries including this work:
Jacobs Collection at Georgetown College | Do You See a Pattern? || VAM Home

The social references and local resources of the 1980s New York scene were the inspiration for this vibrantly colored mixed-media collage. With its various erratic lines creating a sense of energy and chaos, it is easy to understand why Judy Pfaff’s work during this time was often referred to as Energism. Among other things, this piece is composed of materials such as colored Lucite and Mylar. The predominantly yellow background on the left side draws the eye and balances the composition with the darker maroon on the right side.

About the Artist

Judy Pfaff has been a pioneer in installation art since the late 1970s. Her largest work, Cirque, Cirque, is a permanent installation at the Philadelphia Convention Center and is said to be the largest suspended sculpture in the world. But because of their complexity and fragility, many of her other large, three-dimensional installation pieces do not last past their exhibition dates. Instead, her art is about the experience and the process of problem solving; she works for first impressions and immediate results.

Pfaff describes her work of recent years as “interior landscapes.” These installations, which are more open and airy, focus on line—specifically, on the motion of linear gesture. She is also interested in what happens when materials are poured, gouged, pulled, punctured, and striated.

Born in London, England, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Pfaff received her B.F.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and her M.F.A. from Yale University. She has been a professor of art at Bard College in New York since 1994. Her work has been exhibited in major museums and galleries around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Whitney Museum.

Classroom Ideas

Discussion: How would you describe the style of this artwork (abstract, nonrepresentational, nonobjective, etc.)? Be sure to support your response with evidence that refers to the artwork directly. What feeling do you get from this piece? Why?

Activity: Look at images of Judy Pfaff’s mixed-media collages. Gather a variety of materials and create a collage out of what you collect. Remember to pay attention to color and balance when designing your composition. When you have finished, write an artist’s statement.

Links

Read an interview with Judy Pfaff in the online magazine Works + Conversations.
[www.conversations.org/98-1-pfaff.htm]

You’ll find a portrait, a biography, an exhibition record, and images for Pfaff at the Art in Context site.
[www.artincontext.org/artist/p/judy_pfaff/]

For a sense of what Pfaff’s installations look like, see her Ramp Project at the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute of Contemporary Art.
[www.icaphila.org/exhibitions/past/pfaff.php]

For more information about Pfaff and her work, look her up in the Artcyclopedia.
[www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/pfaff_judy.html]