Sixties Surreal | Art & Artists

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H. C. Westermann, The Big Change, 1963

A smooth wooden sculpture shaped like a thick stick tied in a knot, standing on a square base.
A smooth wooden sculpture shaped like a thick stick tied in a knot, standing on a square base.

H.C. Westermann, The Big Change, 1963. Douglas fir marine plywood, Masonite and ink, 75 3/8 x 20 1/4 x 20 1/4 in (191.5 x 51.4 x 51.4 cm). The Art Institute of Chicago; Gift of the Estate of Alan and Dorothy Press in acknowledgment of their family. © 2025 Dumbarton Arts, LLC / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Image courtesy the Art Institute of Chicago / Art Resource, NY

This sculpture seems to have been hewn from a single enormous log of Douglas fir, seamlessly manipulated as though it were a knot tied in a length of rope. However, H. C. Westermann created this work by affixing sheets of laminated plywood together in layers. The striations of the wood evoke the rings in a tree—a tromp l'oeil effect that recalls the vernacular woodcarving traditions Westermann admired. The title alludes to the radical social and political shifts that defined the 1960s. For several artists in this exhibition—who drew inspiration from Westermann—the knotted form has also come to symbolize the tying together of like-minded painters and sculptors across the country.

Artists

On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Frank WANG Yefeng, The Levitating Perils #2

Learn more about this project

Learn more at whitney.org/artport

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