“Equal (Corner Prop Piece),” created by Richard Serra in 1970, is an exemplary work within the Minimalism art movement. This installation piece manifests the artist’s exploration of balance, gravity, and spatial relationships through its stark simplicity.
The artwork features two industrially-produced materials, a long cylindrical rod and a flat rectangular sheet, both composed of metal. The rod is horizontally positioned in the corner of an otherwise unadorned white room, resting precariously atop the vertical sheet which stands perpendicularly on the floor. This arrangement creates a meticulously balanced yet visually tense configuration, emphasizing physical equilibrium and the interaction of geometric forms with the surrounding space. The overall aesthetic underscores the Minimalist ethos of reductive design and direct engagement with the viewer’s perception of the structural properties of mass and void.
