Born in Passaic in New Jersey January 2, 1938, Robert Smithson ( – July 20, 1973) was an artist who expanded what art could be and where art could be found or viewed. For more than fifty years his works have inspired various later artists.  Challenging the conceptual and physical boundaries of landscape Smithson raised questions about our place in the world that have become increasingly popular recently. 

 Initially, Smithson started out as a painter with many interests such as science fiction, catholic art, Pop art, natural history, classical art, and pornography. In 1967 Smithson began exploring areas around New Jersey and was fascinated by the sight of large trucks excavating tons of earth and rock that he described in an essay as "the equivalents of the monuments of antiquity." In 1969 he began producing land art pieces. 

Probably his most well known and influential work is Spiral Jetty (1970). It is a 1,500-foot-long, 15-foot-wide counterclockwise spiral of basalt rocks and mud found locally, forming a jetty that juts from the shore of the Great Salt Lake. Smithson chose this location with reference to nearby abandoned oil rigs, hoping that his artwork would draw attention to them. The Spiral Jetty ​is a testament to Smithson’s fascination with entropy. The location will lead to the structure’s unavoidable disintegration, yet its impressive size and deliberate shape command the surrounding landscape. Unfortunately, he died At age thirty-five,July 20, 1973, while photographing Amarillo Ramp, one of his works, in a small airplane accident

 

Though not her most well know her Wave Field has proven to be quite influential, and is my personal favorite with my interest in science as well. Wave Field is a collection of waves that emulate ocean waves. She created it using simple garden tools. To accurately portray the work and demonstrate fluidity that she wanted in it she studied fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, and turbulence at University of Michigan for three months. The work is also located at the University of Michigan. It measures in at a gigantic 10,000 square feet. It has been noted that it is quite different walking across than viewing it through the window of one of the classrooms. It changes constantly throughout the day as the sun passes and shadows emerge and shift highlighting the interconnectedness between art and landscape.

 

 

 

Possibly there most influential and well known piece is The Running Fence. It took 42 months of collaborative efforts from them and many supporters. It was 24.5 miles long and 18 feet high, with one end finishing at the Pacific Ocean. This monumental temporary artwork was made of 240,000 square yards of heavy woven white nylon fabric, 90 miles of steel cable, 2,050 steel poles, and 350,000 hooks. When it was revealed during America's bicentennial, it stirred the publics attention and led to much curiosity. The dazzling beauty of the light and weather resting across the fabric of the fence stood in drastic contrast to the connotation of division and limitations that fences generally convey.

It initially began as a trend in sculpture to incorporate natural materials like dirt, rocks, and plants. It quickly blossomed into a process-based approach in which the artist would make excursions into the surrounding environment to collect objects or alter the terrain in some way. Some artists used machines to makes large changes for their earthworks, while others made minimal and temporary alterations to the landscape. Typically, all the materials for the project will come from the surroundings or that site. Artists typically documented their artwork using photographs, films, and maps for exhibition in galleries. 

One the few women associated with Land art, Holt is a key yet under-appreciated artist who has produced stunning projects across the globe. The purpose of this work and much of her art seems to be to transforms our perception of place, space, and time.