All About The Hill by Horia Damian

Title of Artwork: “The Hill”

Artwork by Horia Damian

Year Created 1976

Summary of The Hill by Horia Damian

On October 14, 1976, Horia Damian’s Hill was placed in its current location on the Plaza of the Seagram’s Building. Its presence has completely altered the spatial ontology of the city, which has resulted in the vastness of Park Avenue appearing to come to life as a result of the subtle particles it emits. 

If the presence of this sculpture has been felt and experienced by thousands of people, it is because a new harmony is being established between the monumental geometry of the city and the sculpture itself, which is confirming its presence.

All About The Hill by Horia Damian

And if this relatively small work loses none of its monumentality, which instead is magnified, it is because it appears as natural as a work which has no author, which is why it magnifies the monumentality of the work.

To put it another way, it is precisely this moment that represents a significant turning point in the art of our time. In point of fact, for the very first time in the second half of the 20th century, a new viewpoint of the artist towards his work and the rest of the world is being expressed right here, in the very centre of New York City.

This new perspective suggests that the artist’s personality must vanish in order to make room for the universal sensitivity that animates all things.

And if this qualifies as an event, it is because the 20th century, which is mired in its declination and engulfed in a crisis of civilization, has supplanted art with the cult of the artist’s personality, thereby producing a gap between the creator and the thing that he creates. 

This is the reason why the 20th century is considered to be an event. Not only have we forgotten that the universal is the very essence of all individuality, but we have even managed to give priority to individuality. 

The first consequence of this situation is the inversion of the very terms applied to reality. When we forget that individuality, by its very nature, is subject to the effects of time, this confusion is heightened. On the other hand, the very essence of art is to be eternal, so this confusion is exacerbated when we forget this.

This predicament is altered as a result of today’s event, which restores art to the position of having the only opportunity to exist. It makes it possible to realise the supremacy of the spiritual over the temporal in the present context, and at the same time, it affirms the new revolutionary line of art in light of the millennium to come. (A Variation of Radu)