The Sculptures of Nils Krueger
By Stephanie West
Art, in its purest form, is an attempt to reconcile observations of the world around us with the depths of imagination, using the tools of the senses and the creativity of the human mind. Nils Krueger invites his audience into a world where impression is key to understanding reality, and order is found in the most basic elements of life. Nils Krueger’s work is an exploration of the construction of physical and spiritual reality, and a representation of the way in which individuals experience the balance between self and nature. Krueger’s art expresses the ongoing effort to bridge the divide between mental and physical existence, and the seemingly chaotic position of the individual between the physical and the spiritual realm. Krueger’s work finds balance and order behind the illusion of chaos, and reveals the elemental symmetry and design beneath the surface.
Krueger represents the concept of subtle universal balance through the medium of twisted steel sculpture, often contrasting delicate ribbons of metal on the surface with solid form beneath to lend a translucent quality to the work. This transparency allows the viewer to absorb both external surface and internal construction simultaneously, creating a consciousness of the piece as a whole. Visually, the exterior line provides boundary and containment to the structure of the piece, while adding a sense of fluid motion. Each sculpture seems to be in the process of taking shape before your eyes, an organic being forming from the inside out, paused in the moment of creation; a sketch standing in air. Paradoxically, the pieces are complete in their incompleteness, illustrating both the process of internal cellular construction and growth, and the external universal qualities of form.
The beauty of sculpture as a medium lies in the fact that its aesthetics go beyond the visual. Krueger’s work draws each individual into a tactile understanding of the art as they share physical space with the piece, moving around the material body of the structure. This provides individual viewers with a dynamic experience, unique to their own understanding and interpretation of the work. In this way, the viewer is not only looking at the piece, but also participating in its energy and presence. Some pieces, like those in the “Compositional Form” series, represent the human body with a mix of realism and impressionism, using both shapes of human anatomy and geometrical edges and spheres to define form. Kruger creates figures whose hipbones have been replaced by globes, whose sinews stretch and mold over the structure, creating a sense of physical balance and order. The “Figure Study” group utilizes line to define profile, and give shape and movement to the forms who appear to be transfixed in time, caught in a moment of dance. The “Vitruvian Series” combines both line and natural human shapes to create a picture of the mathematical and the natural in balance with one another, a metaphor for modern man and his place in the universe.
Krueger’s exploration of human form and design, alongside the natural longing for order and structure has resulted in a body of work unlike any other. Each piece is unique, able to stand on its own and inspire a second look from its viewer, and perhaps a second look at the world around us. Nils Krueger offers a representation of reality behind the mask of the superficial, finding order its most organic form, and simplicity behind the seemingly complex.
Stephanie West is a freelance writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Krueger represents the concept of subtle universal balance through the medium of twisted steel sculpture, often contrasting delicate ribbons of metal on the surface with solid form beneath to lend a translucent quality to the work. This transparency allows the viewer to absorb both external surface and internal construction simultaneously, creating a consciousness of the piece as a whole. Visually, the exterior line provides boundary and containment to the structure of the piece, while adding a sense of fluid motion. Each sculpture seems to be in the process of taking shape before your eyes, an organic being forming from the inside out, paused in the moment of creation; a sketch standing in air. Paradoxically, the pieces are complete in their incompleteness, illustrating both the process of internal cellular construction and growth, and the external universal qualities of form.
The beauty of sculpture as a medium lies in the fact that its aesthetics go beyond the visual. Krueger’s work draws each individual into a tactile understanding of the art as they share physical space with the piece, moving around the material body of the structure. This provides individual viewers with a dynamic experience, unique to their own understanding and interpretation of the work. In this way, the viewer is not only looking at the piece, but also participating in its energy and presence. Some pieces, like those in the “Compositional Form” series, represent the human body with a mix of realism and impressionism, using both shapes of human anatomy and geometrical edges and spheres to define form. Kruger creates figures whose hipbones have been replaced by globes, whose sinews stretch and mold over the structure, creating a sense of physical balance and order. The “Figure Study” group utilizes line to define profile, and give shape and movement to the forms who appear to be transfixed in time, caught in a moment of dance. The “Vitruvian Series” combines both line and natural human shapes to create a picture of the mathematical and the natural in balance with one another, a metaphor for modern man and his place in the universe.
Krueger’s exploration of human form and design, alongside the natural longing for order and structure has resulted in a body of work unlike any other. Each piece is unique, able to stand on its own and inspire a second look from its viewer, and perhaps a second look at the world around us. Nils Krueger offers a representation of reality behind the mask of the superficial, finding order its most organic form, and simplicity behind the seemingly complex.
Stephanie West is a freelance writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area.