Patrick Ireland
Rope Drawings

“Simple rope has been dipped in primary colors (liquitex) and ‘drawn’ through space, stretched taut (and attached by invisible wires) between wall, floor, ceiling, and elegant, cast-iron columns. The pieces are untitled, but the artist has provided phrases which described the geometric forms within: ‘Two parallel lines, a Z and a straight line’; ‘Incomplete insistence on the term ‘Rope Drawings’ brings additional meaning to the pieces; they are sculptures as well as graphics. Their colored lines both describe and deny their volume—a surprising ambiguity that rewards the veiwer with multiple significations. Pen lines drawn directly on the gallery walls depict one aspect of the works, the one that may be sen from that spot. These are actually the artist’s working sketches, and are invaluable in helping the viewer conceptualize the work in its simplest terms.” [Margaret Betz, Art News, Summer 1975.]

Excerpted from Brentano, R., & Savitt, M. (1981). 112 Workshop, 112 Greene Street: History, artists & artworks. New York: New York University Press.