Darren Kall (b. 1959) American, SIX SCULPTURES OF OLD NORTH DAYTON, 2015, cutout sheet aluminum.
Collection of the Dayton Metro Library. 2015. 1-6
Kall’s work was inspired by Stacks in Celebration by Charles Sheeler, a painting from the collection of The Dayton Art Institute. Choosing six landmarks of old North Dayton, Kall renders them in a Sheeler inspired, Precisionist style which was translated to machine readable instructions for a water jet cutting machine, which created the six relief sculptures. Kall is interested in having these works be accessible to the public and touching is encouraged.
From the Collection of the Dayton Art Institute
Stacks in Celebration by Charles Sheeler
Charles Sheeler (1883 - 1965) American, Stacks in Celebration 1954, Oil on canvas, 22 x28 inches, The Dayton Art Institute, Museum purchase with funds provided provided by the Eloise Spaeth Fund, the firginia Rike Haswell Fund by exchange, the James F. Dicke Family, Dr. & Mrs. Robert A Goldenberg, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas J DeLuca, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas A. Roddy, Mr. & Mrs. William B. Ten Eyck, Mr. & Mrs. John W. Longstreth, Mrs. Joyce M. Bowden, Merrill Lynch & Co. Foundation, Inc., Kathy & Frank Hollingsworth, Esther Scott Carter, The Dayton Art Institute Docent Corps, and other contributors. 1998.52 | To learn more, click here or visit the Dayton Art Institute.
Sheeler helped to develop and popularize the Precisionist art movement, which originated around 1915. This 1954 oil painting beautifies the industrial advances of his time. The landscape is akin to that of Old North Dayton’s heyday, when it was home to new immigrants who were the mighty engine of a growing city.
"I’ve loved the work of Sheeler since I was in art school. His sense of balance between reality and abstraction creates a tension that triggers the viewer to ask “What am I seeing?” and actively participate in understanding the artwork. I aimed to create a similar tension in these sculptures."
— Darren Kall, sculptor