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Steve Linn
"Hawking" sculpture portrait of Stephen Hawking
2016

About the Item

Cast glass, sandblasted carved glass, litho on brass and holograms. Steve Linn describes himself as a documentary sculptor, conducting meticulous research on each of his selected subjects and choosing which references to interpret for the piece he then creates. Stephen Hawking was a British Cosmologist recognized for his theoretical resolution concerning the origin of the universe, known as the Big Bang. He also did extensive work on the circumstances surrounding black holes. When he died in 2018 at the age of 76, he had been afflicted with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, a debilitating neuro-muscular disease) for more than 50 years. His life was a true miracle in that regard, given that the normal life span for someone with ALS is only a few years from the time of diagnosis. Hawking received worldwide recognition for his scientific studies, and a great deal of effort by the team that surrounded him went into maintaining his ability to work despite his physical problems. A number of years before he died he lost his ability to speak and -- through advanced technology developed by the wizards of Silicon Valley -- he acquired a computer-generated voice that was triggered by the muscular movements of his right cheek. For this sculpture, Linn chose to portray Professor Hawking in four different stages of his life: from his youth when he had his "eureka" moment after discovering the work of Ralph Penrose on singularity, through the development of his ALS. The large central head is made of sandblasted, carved flat glass that has a thickness of 25mm and is 1 meter and 35cm in height. The three surrounding heads, which are two times life-size, have been fabricated in a more complete three-dimensional relief made from kiln formed glass. Because so much of what we perceive of the universe is mysterious, Linn decided to complete this work with holograms. Says Linn, "I feel that holograms in themselves have the qualities that best evoke a visual representation of the Hawking studies." The three holograms included in the piece began with blown and etched objects made of clear glass. With the creation of the holograms, only the areas that have been etched are visible, giving an effect of three-dimensional lines floating in space. The "Big Bang hologram" consists of four blown glass cones emerging one from the other, with the final cone quitting the picture plane and showing exponentially increasing number of galaxies pushing out into the constantly expanding universe. The "singularity hologram" is in blown etched glass as well as laminated and etched flat glass. It shows how matter may become compressed until it arrives at a point or certain light rays come from a region of infinite curvature and are focused together, thus entering a black hole where the gravitational pull is so strong that they may never reappear. The third hologram of converging black holes depicts their approach. Once the holes actually merge, they may never separate. This hologram was produced from overlays of clear sheet glass with space between the layers. The swirls etched into the sheets produce a three-dimensional image that evokes the convergence of the two black holes. Hawking’s work has not come without the groundwork provided by scientists that came before him. Surrounding the central section of the sculpture are six of these most important historical figures. Three are from an earlier epoch and three from more modern times. The first is Galileo Galilei, who built observational proofs -- with his telescope for the heliocentric theories of Nicolaus Copernicus also included -- that the sun was the center of our planetary system. The third, Isaac Newton, is considered to be one of the most important scientists in history and his work on the laws of motion and universal gravitation had great impact on future work in astrophysics. On the right side we see Albert Einstein, who applied the general theory of relativity to model the large-scale structure of the universe; Roger Penrose, whose early work in singularity led to Hawking reversing the principle and theorizing on the big bang; and Edwin Hubble, whose work on the ever-expanding universe aided in giving further credence to this theory. These six heads are photos of drawings Linn made that he then photographed, scanned, and dropped out the white areas. The photos were printed on brass sheets, the brass taking the place of the white. They were then cut out and assembled surrounding the cast and carved glass heads giving reference to the planets. Contact the gallery for information about purchasing, or to inquire about commissioning a custom documentary sculpture portrait! Steve Linn welcomes the opportunity to create commissions: this deeply humanist artist feels that each human being can reveal unique characteristics worth exploring with his mind and his hands. Steve Linn describes himself as a documentary sculptor, and indeed, his work rests on the meticulous research he conducts on each of his selected subjects and the interpretation of the references he chooses to develop for each one. Yet his definition would seem to leave out the intensity Linn puts into the materiality of the work. His range of preference is vast and often surprising, using wood, glass, bronze, other metals, and now even holograms to depict the clues he gives the viewer about the work and personality of his subject. He most often combines them all and his mastery of each craft is truly impressive. The subjects Linn chooses for his multi-faceted portraits are often visual artists and musicians he admires, but also sports legends, workmen, and craftsmen (and women). Each tableau contains one or several views of the face or torso, first painstakingly drawn and then most often carved from plate glass or cast from a ceramic original via the kiln-formed glass technique. Tools and objects we would easily associate with the person if known to us are added in a careful composition, but Linn does not stop there. His Portraits series, begun over 50 years ago, now includes more elaborate installations and invites the viewer more deeply into the influences and relationships -- webs that creative humans weave.

Creator:
Steve Linn
Creation Year:
2016
Dimensions:
Height: 69 in (175.26 cm)Width: 92.5 in (234.95 cm)Depth: 13.75 in (34.93 cm)
Medium:
Glass,Mixed Media,Brass,Lithograph
Movement Style:
Contemporary
Period:
2010-
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Glen Ellen, CA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU71214402812

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