August the Squared Fire, by Melvin Edwards, 1965

Melvin Edwards, Artist
August the Squared Fire , 1965

Medium
Steel
Dimensions
64 x 45 x 22 in. (162.6 x 114.3 x 55.9 cm)
Credit Line
Courtesy of the artist and Alexander Gray Associates, New York. Photo by Tim Nighswander/IMAGING4ART, Courtesy of the artist and Alexander Gray Associates

The contours of August the Squared Fire curve and twist around an invisible axis, framed by strong rectilinear forms. The title of this work refers to the Watts uprising of 1965, and the formal arrangement of the steel structure is analogous to the destruction of 103rd Street in Watts.