Ernest Trova Museum Research Paper

For this reaction paper, I chose to visit the Boca Raton Museum of Art, which is located in Mizner Park. The street address is 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, Florida, 33432. I made two trips to the museum. The first visit on May 20th was simply to preview the entire collection of art and the second trip was to obtain more detailed information on the specific piece I chose for this paper. That second visit occurred on May 29th, 2007. This particular museum is currently offering a special exhibit called Retrospective, which features the work of Ernest Trova. This American artist uses many different varieties of media and I was delighted to find such an interesting collection of sculptures, paintings and prints. The work I selected for this paper
is titled Study/Falling Man (Walking Jackman) and the artist is Ernest Trova.
This piece is a cast sculpture composed from stainless steel and the dimensions are 17 ½ inches by 21 inches by 21 inches. I viewed this sculpture on May 29th, 2007. It is one of the main pieces of the special exhibit featuring Ernest Trova’s work. To describe this particular piece is not easy, but I shall try. It is apparently cast in stainless steel, which has been polished to a very high mirror finish. There are six figures of men walking forward and all six of these figures are identical. The figures radiate outward from a central cube which acts as a base, although it is suspended in the exact center of the sculpture. Three of the figures of men act as tripods and their heads are touching the floor. The other three men are in the exact opposite position on the upper side of the central cube. Part of the title (Jackman) probably stems from the fact that the design is reminiscent of the six-pointed star toys known as “Jacks.” As for the surface composition, there is no variation in color
or material. The entire piece, from top to bottom has the same mirrored finish with smooth texture. The figures themselves have no expression, as their faces are nothing but the smooth outline of a head filled with mass. Along with the omission of hair, eyes, ears and other facial features, the six men also lack arms. When looking at this work from different angles, the light reflecting off the shiny surface and the shadows cast by it are also notable. Interesting enough, each figure is positioned in the exact opposite direction as the figure on the other end of the central cube. Thus, if the man on top is walking in one direction, the man on the bottom side of that surface is walking in the opposite direction. As for why I selected this work, this is not easy to answer.
There were many great pieces at the Boca Raton Museum of Art that caught my attention. This was merely the most unique and original of all that I saw. I have always liked robots and this sculpture blends a robotic feel into a very human subject matter. The perfect form and simple, yet amazingly genius design complement the subject matter. I also like the clean finish of the reflective surface and the unity of this one, simple color scheme. When looking at this piece, you can’t help becoming a part of it, as your reflection is caught by the shiny surface. And if you stare long enough, you will see how much movement and motion each of the six men contain. Although this motion is definitely implied and not actual, your eyes can play tricks on you. The visual paths created by this implied motion lead you in a continuous circle from one figure to the next. The depth from the tops of the figures heads to the base of the central cube is exaggerated by the reflective surface, which adds to the visual paths as well. The central cube is amazingly crafted as a perfect, flawless focal point. The cube acts in asymmetrical balance to the figures, as they are sculpted in a fluid, curved way and then placed upon this very rigid, sharp-edged cube. The figures themselves are perfectly symmetrical to the point of perfection. So what does this all mean? Well, just from looking at the sculpture, I would say that the figures represent
a nameless, faceless version of all of us and the cube represents our origin. By noticing the sharp edges of this origin against the smooth edges of the figures, I would imagine that Trova was trying to show that we were not created in the same rigid manner as our origin, but yet we still must interact with it. Why the figures are nameless and faceless can mean many things. I think Trova is demonstrating how we are all the same when you strip away certain layers. What remains is the constant forward motion centered on our core of ideals and values. I believe the absence of arms on the figures represents our unwillingness to break free from conformity. Our arms and hands are vital to our evolution as humans and without them we can’t continue. So not only are we helpless in defending ourselves, but we can’t express ourselves, or stand out, or break free from whatever is holding us down. The fact that three of the figures aren’t even upright furthers this idea that Trova was trying to convey the oppression of man. I think he is also trying to convey the fact that although we appear equal, we still treat others as if they were below us. In the sculpture, this is represented by the three figures on the bottom, which literally carry the entire weight of the work on their heads. Although this work is definitely abstract in composition, the subject matter is representational of the struggles of individualism. He presents this theme in a repetitive, monochromatic way that says a lot about who we are by showing us what we are missing. Trova’s Falling Man contains a great deal of harmony and balance and visually it is aesthetically beautiful. But once you start thinking about what it might mean, the truth hits home and that isn’t always a pretty picture.