Nils Krueger: Figurative Constructions
By Willie McBride
What is real? How far do our perceptions take us? Are there worlds beyond our sight? It is the concepts behind these questions that Nils Krueger explores through his sculpture. His linear and metallic, human forms play with ideas of space, time, and matter, providing a thought-provoking, three-dimensional experience for his viewers. David Martin, philosophy professor, wrote that sculpture is “a presence embodying a concrete sense of reality, present in the same continuum as the perceiver.” It is this idea that caused Mr. Krueger to choose sculpture through which to communicate his beliefs on the interrelatedness of all life and the structural systems which are its essence. By placing the viewer in the same space as the sculpture, orbiting the work in observation, Mr. Krueger evokes the sense of connectedness that he feels so strongly.
Mr. Krueger bases his work on the human form not because of an overbearing adherence to classicism or a desire for narrative, but rather because he sees the form as infinitely complex yet supremely familiar. The human body is an array of micro systems and structures, he believes, in the same way we are also a part of similar macro systems. To present these ideas, Mr. Krueger relies on people’s inherent knowledge of the human form as a basis for which to access the more conceptual ideas in his work. Mr. Krueger’s work surely has its classical references though, utilized in the process of combining the ancient and the modern into something beyond both. The cover piece of this book, for example, is reminiscent of da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, the figure with extended limbs that was used as the basis for human proportions.
As in Cubism, Mr. Krueger’s sculptures are intended to present several different interpretations of a certain form, but unlike the paintings of Cubism which were confined to the flat plane of the canvas, these sculptures conceal nothing from their viewers and allow them to experience the work from all sides. There is always more to things than we can see, always something below the surface that the naked eye does not comprehend. All the seemingly static, mundane “matter” we see in our day to day lives—post boxes, tables and chairs, buildings, trees—is really alive with the energy of the atoms that comprise it. This fascinates Mr. Krueger, the idea that we simply exist, as energy amidst the vast continuum that is reality, space, and time, just the same as all things infinitely bigger and smaller. He writes: “It is my hope that through uncovering elements which lay beneath the surface, hidden from our conscious awareness, my work will contribute to this ever deepening understanding of our physical environment.”
The three-dimensional, linear qualities of Mr. Krueger’s work feel architectural, reminiscent of R. Buckminster Fuller and his geodesic dome. The metalwork has a distinctly modern presence, at first, like the buildings of the Bauhaus, or of Mies van der Rohe, but the planes in Mr. Krueger’s work also evoke the organic, natural feeling found in the overhanging planes and low-slung eves of Frank Lloyd Wright. The hard lines and grids are juxtaposed with the soft curves of the spherical and human forms, resulting in a feeling of overall unity—an equilibrium—in each piece. In 1896, architect Louis Sullivan wrote: “…the moment we peer beneath this surface of things, the moment we look through the tranquil reflection of ourselves and the clouds above us, down into the clear, fluent, unfathomable depth of nature, how startling is the silence of it, how amazing the flow of life, how absorbing the mystery.” By combining seemingly disparate elements and themes in his work, Mr. Krueger has tried to bring about the realization of this brilliant oneness of ourselves and all things.
Besides the architectural qualities of Mr. Krueger’s sculptures, there are also dramatic ones. Although not intended as narrative, the human forms do add certain elements of character, location, and time, simply because the viewers can instantly relate to the human form as if it were they. Each viewer creates the meaning themselves, creates a narrative where they are the hero because of their inherent familiarity with the form. People have realized the potential of these dramatic elements in Mr. Krueger’s work; in 1996 he made stage sculptures for “The Imagination Conference,” working with Brian Eno, Laurie Anderson, and Spike Lee. In 1997 Mr. Krueger made set sculptures for “The Millennium Conference,” with William Sommers, Scott McNealy, and Lawrence Ellison.
It is the all-inclusive essence of Mr. Krueger’s work that allows it to be enjoyed in many different arenas, from the stage to the public park to the office building. His pieces are equally at home in the lobby of an architecture firm as they are in a hospital or medical school, even a house. There is something comforting about Mr. Krueger’s work, a satisfaction that the flesh and bones side of humanity has finally come to terms with the world of industry that it created in its journey toward modernism, like an affirming handshake between the two. It is reassuring to realize that everything coexists, not in chaos, but rather in an infinitely structured world with systems of subtle beauty forever surrounding us. Louis Sullivan says it most eloquently:
Unceasingly the essence of things is taking shape in the matter of things, and this unspeakable process we call birth and growth. Awhile the spirit and the matter fade away together, and it is this that we call decadence, death. These two happenings seem jointed and interdependent, blended into one like a bubble and its iridescence, and they seem borne along upon a slowly moving air. This air is wonderful past all understanding.
Mr. Krueger’s works, his Figurative Constuctions, achieve what any truly fine art should; they make you think, make you feel, and provide an exciting and mysterious glimpse into something deeper and closer to reality, something essential about the lives we live.
Willie McBride is a freelance writer based in San Francisco.
Mr. Krueger bases his work on the human form not because of an overbearing adherence to classicism or a desire for narrative, but rather because he sees the form as infinitely complex yet supremely familiar. The human body is an array of micro systems and structures, he believes, in the same way we are also a part of similar macro systems. To present these ideas, Mr. Krueger relies on people’s inherent knowledge of the human form as a basis for which to access the more conceptual ideas in his work. Mr. Krueger’s work surely has its classical references though, utilized in the process of combining the ancient and the modern into something beyond both. The cover piece of this book, for example, is reminiscent of da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, the figure with extended limbs that was used as the basis for human proportions.
As in Cubism, Mr. Krueger’s sculptures are intended to present several different interpretations of a certain form, but unlike the paintings of Cubism which were confined to the flat plane of the canvas, these sculptures conceal nothing from their viewers and allow them to experience the work from all sides. There is always more to things than we can see, always something below the surface that the naked eye does not comprehend. All the seemingly static, mundane “matter” we see in our day to day lives—post boxes, tables and chairs, buildings, trees—is really alive with the energy of the atoms that comprise it. This fascinates Mr. Krueger, the idea that we simply exist, as energy amidst the vast continuum that is reality, space, and time, just the same as all things infinitely bigger and smaller. He writes: “It is my hope that through uncovering elements which lay beneath the surface, hidden from our conscious awareness, my work will contribute to this ever deepening understanding of our physical environment.”
The three-dimensional, linear qualities of Mr. Krueger’s work feel architectural, reminiscent of R. Buckminster Fuller and his geodesic dome. The metalwork has a distinctly modern presence, at first, like the buildings of the Bauhaus, or of Mies van der Rohe, but the planes in Mr. Krueger’s work also evoke the organic, natural feeling found in the overhanging planes and low-slung eves of Frank Lloyd Wright. The hard lines and grids are juxtaposed with the soft curves of the spherical and human forms, resulting in a feeling of overall unity—an equilibrium—in each piece. In 1896, architect Louis Sullivan wrote: “…the moment we peer beneath this surface of things, the moment we look through the tranquil reflection of ourselves and the clouds above us, down into the clear, fluent, unfathomable depth of nature, how startling is the silence of it, how amazing the flow of life, how absorbing the mystery.” By combining seemingly disparate elements and themes in his work, Mr. Krueger has tried to bring about the realization of this brilliant oneness of ourselves and all things.
Besides the architectural qualities of Mr. Krueger’s sculptures, there are also dramatic ones. Although not intended as narrative, the human forms do add certain elements of character, location, and time, simply because the viewers can instantly relate to the human form as if it were they. Each viewer creates the meaning themselves, creates a narrative where they are the hero because of their inherent familiarity with the form. People have realized the potential of these dramatic elements in Mr. Krueger’s work; in 1996 he made stage sculptures for “The Imagination Conference,” working with Brian Eno, Laurie Anderson, and Spike Lee. In 1997 Mr. Krueger made set sculptures for “The Millennium Conference,” with William Sommers, Scott McNealy, and Lawrence Ellison.
It is the all-inclusive essence of Mr. Krueger’s work that allows it to be enjoyed in many different arenas, from the stage to the public park to the office building. His pieces are equally at home in the lobby of an architecture firm as they are in a hospital or medical school, even a house. There is something comforting about Mr. Krueger’s work, a satisfaction that the flesh and bones side of humanity has finally come to terms with the world of industry that it created in its journey toward modernism, like an affirming handshake between the two. It is reassuring to realize that everything coexists, not in chaos, but rather in an infinitely structured world with systems of subtle beauty forever surrounding us. Louis Sullivan says it most eloquently:
Unceasingly the essence of things is taking shape in the matter of things, and this unspeakable process we call birth and growth. Awhile the spirit and the matter fade away together, and it is this that we call decadence, death. These two happenings seem jointed and interdependent, blended into one like a bubble and its iridescence, and they seem borne along upon a slowly moving air. This air is wonderful past all understanding.
Mr. Krueger’s works, his Figurative Constuctions, achieve what any truly fine art should; they make you think, make you feel, and provide an exciting and mysterious glimpse into something deeper and closer to reality, something essential about the lives we live.
Willie McBride is a freelance writer based in San Francisco.