Circle Blue
1970
“I aimed to cut out large chunks of ocean or sky and say: here it is.” – De Wain Valentine.
Valentine pioneered the use of industrial plastics for monumental sculptures beginning in the 1960s. His elemental shapes create sleek translucent surfaces that reflect light and engage with the surrounding space. One might also see this flat disk of blue resin as an avatar for planet earth, with its surface made up of 70% water, as seen in the 1972 “Blue Marble” photograph taken from Apollo 17, the first whole and fully illuminated photograph of our blue planet.
Cast polyester resin
Diameter: 70 x 5 1/2 in. (177.8 x 14 cm)
Gift of the Virginia and Bagley Wright Collection, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
2020.15.37
Photo: Mark Woods
