Grammar

Shechet embraces a range of materials in her sculptural practice. The biomorphic upper portion of Grammar is made out of hand-formed coils of clay. Its slightly slumping forms and lumpy protrusions rest on (and contrast with) the thin metal armature below, engaging us at our own scale—or as the artist puts it, “body to body.”Integral to the work, the pedestal refers to traditions of sculpture and painting: the hand-painted, fluted wooden base was inspired by an 1834 painting of a color wheel by Hudson River artist Thomas Cole. The bell-shaped form also resembles a skirt, its bright colors and subject matter in dialogue with the nearby German expressionist window, Woman with Animals. The skirt, too, suggests a femininity that is often pejoratively associated with the decorative arts, whose traditions Shechet enthusiastically embraces.