-~ CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE CAST RESIN SCULPTURE \I FIVE LOS ANGELES ARTISTS: 1965-1972 A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of master of arts in Art by Gaye Ann Mueller June 1979 The Thesis of Gaye Ann Mueller is approved: California State University, Northridge ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to thank the members of my committee, Kenan Breazeale, Robert Bassler, and especially Louise Lewis for the generous devotion of their time, energy and knowledge towards the production of this thesis. I would also like to thank David Elder for his direction at the start when all roads seemed blocked. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENT . •·. ; i; LIST OF PLATES AND SOURCES . v LIST OF FIGURES AND SOURCES. xi ABSTRACT xii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ...... 1 2. THE LOS ANGELES ART SCENE IN THE SIXTIES. 6 3. DEWAIN VALENTINE .. 19 4. PETER ALEXANDER . 37 5. FREDERICK EVERSLEY. 53 6. HELEN PASHGIAN. 69 7. ROBERT.BASSLER •. 83 8. CONCLUSION. 102 BIBLIOGRAPHY 124 APPENDIXES . 130 APPENDIX A: PROCEDURES FOR CASTING POLYESTER RESIN SCULPTURE . 131 APPENDIX B: THE CHEMISTRY OF POLYESTER RESIN. 142 iv PLATES AND SOURCES Plate Page 1. DEWAIN VALENTINE, Three Discs, yellow fiberglass and resin, 1967. Source: DeWain Valentine. .. 27 2. DEWAIN VALENTINE, Large Wedge, yellow and pink cast resin, 1968. Source: Von Meier Kurt. 11 An Interview with DeWain Valentine, .. Artforum, Vol. 7, No.9, May 1969, Illustrated p .. 58 ........ 28 3. View of the DeWain Valentine exhibition at the Bischofbergen Gallery in Zurich, 1969. Source: Danieli, Fidel. 11 DeWain Valentine, .. Art International, Vol. 13, No. 9, November 1969, Illustrated p. 36 ...........•... 29 4. DEWAIN VALENTINE, Untitled (Curved Slqp), blue cast 11 11 11 resin, 84 x 84 x 2 , 1970. Source: Baker, Elizabeth. 11 Los Angeles 1971, 11 Art News, Vol. 70, September 1971, Illustrated p. 37 30 5. DEWAIN VALENTINE, Untitled (Disc), red transparent cast resin, 1970. Source: DeWain Valentine. 30 6. DEWAIN VALENTINE, Concave Circle, cast resin, 11 11 72 X 25 , 1970. Source: DeWain Valentine ...... 31 7. DEWAIN VALENTINE, Circle, Clear Smoke, cast resin, 11 11 34-3/16 X 2-1/4 , 1971. Source: DeWain Valentine. 32 8. DEWAIN VALENTINE, Untitled (Ring Sculpture), acrylic, 48 11 diameter, 1972. Source: DeWain Valentine. 33 v Plate Page 9. DEWAIN VALENTINE, Catenary Light, acrylic rod, 11 80 I X 1 ' 1970-72. Source: DeWain Valentine, exhibition catalogue, La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, June 28- August 3, 1975, Cat. no. 34 .......... 34 10. DEWAIN VALENTINE, Diamond Column, cast resin, 6 1 high, 1978. Source: Photographed by author at 11 Sculpture 1 78 11 Civic Center Mall, Los Angeles, October 14-31, 1978. 35 11. DEWAIN VALENTINE, Cantilevered Planes, plexiglass 11 11 11 sheets, 624 x 144 x 228 , 1975. Source: DeWain Valentine, exhibition catalogue, La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, June 28- August 3, 1975, Cat. no. 2 .......... 36 12. PETER ALEXANDER, Cloud Box, layered cast resin, 11 10 , 1966. Source: Peter A1 exander . 45 13. Installation view of two large wedges and pyramid, cast resin, 1967-1968. Source: Peter Alexander 46 14. PETER ALEXANDER, Untitled (Wedge), cast resin, 11 11 11 96 X 8 X 8 , 1969. Source: Peter Alexander ..... 47 15. PETER ALEXANDER, Leaning Bar, cast resin, 11 11 11 105 X 3 X 3 , 1970. Source: Peter Alexander 48 16. View of wall pieces in studio, 2119 Estrella, Los Angeles, cast resin, 1970. Source: Peter Alexander ... 49 17. PETER ALEXANDER, Six Part Wall Piece, cast resin, 11 11 11 89 X 68 X 12 , 1970. Source: Peter A1 exander . " . 50 Plate Page 1a. PETER ALEXANDER, Untitled (Sunset), detail, pastel 11 11 on paper, 30 x 40 , 1974. Source: Peter Alexander, Sunsets, exhibition catalogue, University of California, Irvine Art Gallery, November 3-December a, 1974 ... 51 19. PETER ALEXANDER, acrylic painting, 197a. Source: Photographed by author in artist's studio, Tuna Canyon . • . • . 52 20. FREDERICK EVERSLEY, Untitled, three-color, three layer CUt cast resin cylinder, au X 12 11 X au, 1969. Source: Frederick Eversley, exhibition catalogue, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, April 30-May 30, 1976, Cat . no . 27 . • . 61 21. FREDERICK EVERSLEY, Untitled, three color, three layer 11 11 cut cast resin cylinder, au x 5 x 20 , 1969. Source: Frederick Eversley, exhibition catalogue, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, April 30-May 30, 1976, Cat. no. 24 • . • . • • . • . • . 62 22. FREDERICK EVERSLEY, Untitled, three color, three layer cast resin disc with hole, 20 11 x 311 ,1973. Source: Photographed by author in artist•s studio, Venice, California ................ 63 23. FREDERICK EVERSLEY, Untitled, opaque black cast resin 11 11 disc with hole, 20 x 4 , 1974. Source: Frederick Eversley,exhibition catalogue, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, April 30-May 30, 1976, Cat. no . 9 . 64 24. FREDERICK EVERSLEY, Untitled, transparent black cast 11 11 resin disc, 20 x 6 , 1976. Source: Photographed by author in artist's studio, Venice, California ......•........•. 65 25. FREDERICK EVERSLEY, Untitled, blue transparent and grey opaque cast resin discs. Source: Photographed by author in artist's studio, Venice, California ................ 66 Plate Page 26. View of Frederick Eversley's studio, seven cast resin discs on pedestals. Source: Photographed by author in artist's studio, Venice, California .•............... 67 27. FREDERICK EVERSLEY, Untitled, blue opaque and pink transparent cast resin discs. Source: Photographed by author in artist's studio, Venice, California ..........•...... 68 28. HELEN PASHGIAN, early thin-layer oil painting, 1964. Source: Helen Pashgian ........•...• 78 29. HELEN PASHGIAN, Untitled, white opaque plexiglass box, cast resin sphere, 811 square, 1968. Source: Helen Pashgian . 79 30. HELEN PASHGIAN, Untitled, cast resin and acrylic sphere, 1969. Source: Heleh Pashgian . .. 79 31. HELEN PASHGIAN, Untitled, cast resin and acrylic sphere, 1969. Source: Helen Pashgian . 80 32. HELEN PASHGIAN, Untitled, clear cast resin sphere, 1970. Source: Helen Pashgian • 80 33. HELEN PASHGIAN, Untitled Triptych (detail), left painting of triptych, cast resin, 36" X 72", 1975. Source: Helen Pashgian, exhibition catalogue, University of California, Irvine Art Gallery, December 5-27, 1975. Cat. no. 1. 81 34. HELEN PASHGIAN, Untitled, epoxy resin painting, 24" X 30", 1978. Source: Photographed by author at Westridge School for Girls Art Gallery, April, 1979 ......•.. 82 uiii Plate Page 35. ROBERT BASSLER, Anatome Variation VI, cast resin 11 and brass, 18 , 1967. Source: Robert Bassler. 93 36. ROBERT BASSLER, Anatome Enclosure I, cast resin 11 and aluminum, 25 , 1968. Source: Robert Bassler ...... 94 37. ROBERT BASSLER, Total Enclosure III, cast resin and 11 aluminum, 24 , 1969. Source: Robert Bass 1er. 95 38. ROBERT BASSLER, Split Enclosure, cast resin, 11 20 ' 1970. Source: Robert Bassler ..... 96 39. ROBERT BASSLER, Double Concave, cast resin, 11 11 11 25 X 36 X 24 , 1971. Source: Robert Bass 1er. 0 . 97 40. Installation view of Robert Bassler exhibition at Amerika Haus, Berlin, March 1972. Source: Robert Bassler. 0 . 98 41. ROBERT BASSLER, Lenticular Column, cast resin, 11 11 11 57 X 15 X 19 , 1971. Source: Robert Bassler. 99 42. ROBERT BASSLER, Lenticular Disc I' cast resin, 16 11 diameter, 1973. Source: Robert Bassler. 0 . 100 43. ROBERT BASSLER, White Disc-White X/Barricade, 11 11 wood construction, 51" x 55 x 7 , 1977-78. Source: Robert Bassler ........ 101 44. ROBERT BASSLER, Disc Triptych/Road Show, photo 11 11 enlarged color xerox, 30 x 92 , 1978. Source: Robert Bassler ....... 101 Plate Page 45. DAVID ELDER, Sky Pool, vertical wall hanging cast resin disc, 14 11 diameter, 1973-74. Source: David Elder .... 109 46. DAVID ELDER, Sky Pool, cast resin disc on pedestal, 36 11 diameter, 1973-74. Source: David Elder .... 109 X FIGURES AND SOURCES Figure Page 1. Comparison of cross section view of cast resin discs by DeWain Valentine, Fred Eversley, Helen Pashgian, Robert Bassler and David Elder. Source: Illustration by the author . 110 ABSTRACT CAST RESIN SCULPTURE FIVE LOS ANGELES ARTISTS: 1965-1972 by Gaye A. Mueller Master of Arts in Art History In Los Angeles in the early 1960 1 s a style of art evolved, 11 fetish finish .. or the 11 L.A. Look, .. which could be seen as the first original artistic advancement to emanate from Southern California and placed ~os Angeles on the map as a viable art center. The 11 L.A. Look, 11 with its emphasis on technologically produced 11 Clean 11 materials, took the form of beautiful, simple objects, vehicles for sensuous color combined with a captivation for light effects such as transparency, reflection and prismatic changes. The magical material was plastic and within its boundaries, there arose independently of one another, in 1965, a small group of artists who chose to work specifically with one medium--cast polyester resin sculpture--and who helped to promulgate the aesthetics of 11 fetish finish 11 art. Five aY'tists have been selected for this thesis through which to investigate the motives an artist had in choosing a medium, how the artist expressed himself through the medium, xii how the artist modified his statement to fit the confines of the material, why the artist ceased using cast resin, and towards what direction the artist then turned. The artists discussed are DeWain Valentine, Peter Alexander, Frederick Eversley, Helen Pashgian and Robert Bassler. Within this group, there appeared numerous similari­ ties and overlaps in the reductive, geometric forms in which they chose to work; yet each artists• body of work remained quite individual. Their abandonment of cast resin by 1972 and the environmental concerns they next pursued, represented a new direction taken by Southern Cali­ fornia artists with the beginning of a new decade. Repercussions from the effects of 11 fetish finish, .. although no longer popular in Los Angeles art, are still recognizable in the sculpture and painting manifested in the area today.