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Untitled

Untitled from 1971 was made toward the end of Peter Alexander’s series of cast polyester resin objects. This sapphire blue, tapered sculpture towers at nearly seven-and-a-half feet tall. It sits atop a thin metal base that is nearly square: five-and-a-quarter by five-and-an-eighth inches. As the sculpture rises, it grows ever thinner until it becomes just a narrow sliver at the top. It is like a deep-ocean wave that reaches miles down where it starts, and is paper thin by the time it completes its journey at the shore. And like ocean water that gets soaked up by beach sand, it feels like if this sculpture continued higher, it would simply be absorbed by the air in the room.

The gentle, gradual thinning of the cast resin creates a color gradient. It appears dark at the bottom where it is thickest and faint at the top. The change is subtle, leaving no lines in the color. The gradient also resembles the ocean, where deep water is dark and becomes paler as it nears the shore and sunlight can penetrate it. But unlike rippling, ever-moving ocean water, this artwork is exquisitely perfect in its stillness. Not a mark or crinkle can be found along the glassy surface.

Untitled is a superb combination of Alexander’s love of surfing and his training in architecture. Both disciplines require incredible precision. And while both can be done with personal style and flair, the result is something a wide audience can admire.