Rise

1993

Fresco on Styrofoam

6’ x 10 ‘6'“ x 4’ each

James Hyde is an American painter, photographer, and sculptor working in

New York. Traditionally, we think of a painting as something made on canvas

stretched over a wooden frame, a two-dimensional image hung on a wall.

However, Hyde’s background in construction has led him to explore uncon-

ventional painting materials like plaster, steel, styrofoam, and glass. By

utilizing these commonplace substances, Hyde experiments through his art

and pushes up against the question: “What is a painting?”

Rise is a site-specific, polychromatic fresco-style painting on styrofoam

blocks displayed in an 80 ft tall white brick atrium. This piece was commis-

sioned by one of the Progressive Art Collection’s founders,Toby Lewis. One

thing that inspired me about this piece is the interactive experiences Pro-

gressive employees have with this work- even if those experiences may not

have been intended by the artist. While visiting Campus One, our class was

told stories about how Progressive workers sometimes made a game out of

throwing rubber bands, erasers, and paper planes onto the tops of the

blocks. I was inspired by the way Hyde was able to conceptually push back

on what a painting could be within an art-historical perspective; and that he

unintentionally encouraged his audience to do the same. Rise expands on

the ideas of painting by exploring three-dimensionality and turning it into

something so much more.

-Natalie Russell