Nature's Laugh
Gunnar Theel
1992
MATERIAL: metal: copper, stainless steel; other materials: marine plywood, soil, grass
DIMENSIONS: overall: 87 3/4 in x 72 1/2 in x 62 7/8 in
EDITION: Unique
CREDIT: Grounds For Sculpture, Gift of The Seward Johnson Atelier
© Artist or Artist's Estate, photo: dmh Photography
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Gunnar Theel was born in Germany and relocated to America in 1969. He has been working in New York City since 1973 as a painter and since the 1980s as a sculptor. 'Nature’s Laugh' is indicative of the artist’s sense of humor as well as the recurring theme of nature and architecture in his body of work. Made of copper, steel, and plywood, the upside-down house balanced on the peak of its roof has grass growing where the bottom floor should be, and a ladder placed in a paradoxical position. For the artist, it represents man’s ongoing dialogue with nature and nature’s supreme victory over man’s continuous attempt to be its master. Houses and architecture continue to influence Theel’s art as illustrated with his Right Angles series of abstract steel sculptures.
