I had the opportunity to see this amazing Richard Serra sculpture at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. It is called Sequence and measures 67 feet long, 42 feet wide, and 13 feet high. The sculpture is made up of gigantic plates of steel that are about two inches thick, and guests are encouraged to walk through it. Although it is a single sculpture, it seems like many because the view changes continuously as you walk through it and around, and the patterns of light and shadow change as the sun moves across the sky.

The museum has a fascinating 7-minute film showing the installation of the sculpture. Apparently it was necessary to pour a special concrete pad to hold the sculpture’s 200 ton weight. The amazing thing is that this piece is on loan. It had been displayed previously at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from 2008 to 2011 and in 2016 it will be moved to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Moving the piece involves a dozen over-sized load flatbed trucks, a team of world class riggers and a giant crane.

One challenge with oil paintings is that it is really hard to get a feel for the painting from a photograph. The problem is that, all too often, the photograph omits the essential characteristics of the paint that make the piece successful.

I was reminded of this fact when viewing a piece by Wayne Thiebaud the Cantor Art Center at Stanford University. It’s an oil painting called Lunch Table, produced in 1964. The painting is fairly large, about 36″ x 58″, but seems unremarkable in this image.

It is only when you step up close, that you see the piece is made from outrageously thick, voluptuous layers of glossy paint that looks like frosting. This rich paint surface is a hallmark of Wayne Thiebaud, but without seeing a closeup, one might think the work is only about geometric patterns and color and repetition.