The CUTOUT series by Max Springer is largely inspired by the work of Elsworth Kelly. Springer's shapes and colors are meant to inter-react with the architecture of a given space at the root level of design. The purpose of such primary attention is to meld art into your environmental vision. Conflicting outlines and disparate content should confuse us a bit and help us to fuse the artwork with the environment and accentuate the aesthetics of both.
The initial artwork is composed on Macintosh computer workstations and can be finished in just about any material desired: handmade wooden sculptures; fiberglass constructions; oil or acrylic paintings; even auxiliary lithographs or serigraphs. Thanks to the computer environment you can submit your goals, even photos of the installation area, and we will create a computer-based simulation of the final art installation. Springer's knowwledge of the psychology of color and dynamic design combine to create what we feel are some of the best environments available. Designs can be created from start or you can select from already existing designs.
Major emphasis is being placed on the TRIANGLE series, an example of which will be installed at the end of January. Years of design distillation bring out the strength, simplicity, and beauty of the triangle. Buckminster Fuller's work had dramatic impact on Springer's education, and the triangle series is an obvious complement to most modern architecture. Your eye is drawn quickly along the axis of the most grand of the shard-like, splintery triangles; the visual momentum accelerates and shoots out the tip to be captured in close range by another as it propels your eyes along its spine. Pristine, pure, white installations surrounded by a faint red aura give a spiritual effect; colors of the sunset over the Pacific Ocean give the feeling of quiet breezes at the beach.
The NEBULOUS CUTOUTS, a concurrent series, appeal to our unconscious for definition, leaving us open for more input, like children looking for pictures in the clouds. Fantastic outlines and familiar content short-circuit our perceptions and induce trance in pursuit of meaning. Uncertainty can presuppose very receptive states of mind...how do you want your clients to feel when they are on your ground?...You are able to create a warm unconscious reception for them.
The MUDMEN, a series of monochromatic wooden panelled wall sculptures, were inspired by the Hopi Indian clowns that come down from the hills annually to teach lessons about life and morality to the children. They look inside themselves to find out what is going on outside a little better. Brave attitudes help our sight with these reminders of our souls' playfulness. Earth and skin colors accentuate our mutual roots and feelings of sensory vulnerability are questioned at length.
The REFRESHING MINTS are examples of wall sculptures that automatically create a mood of serenity as your eyes linger on the form. The green color refreshes the mind, the circle symbolizes wholeness, while the indented wedge creates the tension of potential dynamic energy.
Truth and cognition are underlying themes with the CHAIRS...an initial series inspired by R. Akutagawa's play "Rashomon". All pieces of this group match the description of 'chairs', yet they obviously are not chairs and their truth becomes questioned. Spanning over 7 meters in an average installation, the angular dynamics and colors of these groupings immediately gratify the child in all of us, and if a child asks, there is a marvelous story about truth to be perceived.
