Joan Strauss Carl
Black and White Abstract Drawing by Joan Strauss Carl
1968

About the Item

Presenting a drawing by Joan Strauss Carl, which served as a preparatory study for one of her three-dimensional sculptures. Joan Strauss Carl’s artistic journey is an ongoing exploration, where each project evolves from its inception to realization, an investigation into the depths of concepts, structure, and their fundamental nature. The sculptures by Joan Carl Strauss harmoniously blend strength, grace, and femininity. Every angle exposes unique facets that collectively narrate the story of an emancipated spirit, unfolding a narrative where the form attests to the embodiment of an independent woman’s soul. Rendered in black ink, this drawing prompts us to understand the research that precedes the construction of a sculpture, inviting a deeper exploration of the subtle relationship between form, its lines and curves, and the negative spaces around and within it. The study presents itself as material woven, pieces intertwined, and assembled. With just a single ink, Strauss produces various effects with varying intensity in its layout. The drawing unveils the blueprint for a vertical sculpture, its base containing a space that evokes the emergence of human legs. The interplay between concave and convex shapes guides us through a journey encompassing the sculpture’s fullness and the background’s disclosed spaces, appearing as window-like openings. Strauss’s brilliance orchestrates an encounter between abstract sculpture and the recognition of a tangible figure, resonating in accord with the sensibility of every viewer. Joan Strauss Carl was a Los Angeles artist, teacher, and humanitarian activist. She served as the past president of the Los Angeles Art Association and has left behind a formidable body of work and commissions in private collections, museums, and houses of worship. A prolific sculptor and painter, she studied art in Cleveland and at the Art Institute of Chicago before journeying to the West. Her decision proved wise as she quickly had six one-person shows and consistently received invitations to significant juried exhibitions from San Francisco to San Diego. As a sculptor, she worked in various mediums, including bronze, terracotta, stone, and wood.

Creator:

Joan Strauss Carl (1926 - 2021, American)

Creation Year:

1968

Dimensions:

Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)Width: 20.6 in (52.33 cm)Depth: 0.75 in (1.91 cm)

Medium:

Ink

Period:

Mid-20th Century

Condition:

New framing.