Written by Edward Lifson, this story focuses on the why and what of Turrell's installations, noting the religious significance of light that Turrell investigates and the strangely solid way that light materializes in his works. Lifson is a long-time journalist for NPR, architecture critic, and once ran a Chicago-based radio program on the arts and culture. As the smooth, sleek shapes of light that Turrell creates are reminiscent of architectural forms used by Frank Lloyd Wright and I. M. Pei, there seems to be no one better to write about his works than art- and architecture-interested journalist Edward Lifson.
As this story was written for a listening radio audience, Lifson included many quotes from art critics and Turrell himself to add a variety of voices to the report. However, when read, it is obvious that quotations do more than add variety; they act as rhetorical devices, aiding the ethos of the composition by providing more credibility to Lifson's argument that Turrell's works are unique.
Given that Lifson includes many references to seeing Turrell's Guggenheim exhibition in his piece (he writes about long lines, walking into exhibits, and finally leaving feeling affected), it seems that his major purpose is to get his educated and art-aware NPR audience to see Turrell's works for themselves. The article, even neglecting the praise that Lifson gives to Turrell, encourages the surreal experience that Turrell offers. While I do not intend to make the trek to the Guggenheim to catch a glimpse of Turrell's light installations, I have to say that Lifson was very effective in making me want to. His generous inclusion of pictures of Turrell’s works is what did it for me. After looking at them for even a second, how could you not want to stare into those rich, pure colors in person?
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An excellent recollection of an experience with one of Turrell's works
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