Morgan Library// A Certain Slant of Light: Spencer Finch at the Morgan

Taking advantage of the Morgan Library 's four-storey, glass-enclosed Gilbert Court, American Artist Spencer Finch created a site-specific installation that plays with light and its ephemeral qualities. His exhibit (which I felt was really more of an experience) is not as impressionistic as it first appears - the entire process has a specific purpose, the construction of which required extensive calculation and meticulous precision. The result? Total enchantment.


In reference to the medieval Book of Hours theme, he used 365 pieces of colored film applied to the glass paneled windows of the Gilbert Court, exploiting the sun's movement to create a prayer calendar of sorts - using groups of different palettes to correspond to the time of the year. For example, November would be "harvesting" and the colors of the month will be based on the colors of the harvest. The installation also called for what the artist is identifying as "red-letter days." Marking secular holidays the artist considers significant—such as Sir Isaac Newton's birthday on January 4—red-colored glass would align with the sun's arc across Gilbert Court at noon on these days.

As such, no time of day at the museum will ever look the same again. Even upon first impression the installation is a beautiful one - to learn that it has been broken down to a math and careful calculation makes it all the more awe-inspiring. While not a household name, I read that precise calculation used to execute art installations are Spencer Finch's hallmark in his work, and as a result he does a brilliant job of capturing fleeting, sublime beauty.