October 1988. Granite, stainless. Dimensions: 144 × 76 × 48 in (366 × 193 × 122 cm).
Corporate commission - Washington, DC.
East River Totem (1988) was commissioned for a prominent public site in Washington, D.C., during a period when John Van Alstine's sculpture was evolving toward a leaner, more architectural vocabulary. Rising sixteen feet, the work combines granite and stainless steel in a vertical composition that recalls ancient standing stones while embracing the precision and materials of the modern city. The sculpture reflects Van Alstine's growing interest in creating forms that serve as visual landmarks—connecting earth, sky, and the experience of place.
While rooted in the enduring permanence of stone, East River Totem also expresses movement and balance through its dynamic interplay of mass and line. Created at a pivotal moment in the artist's career, the commission foreshadowed the elegant totems, portals, and celestial works that followed, including SCR Sunwork, Artery Sunwork, and Passage. It represents an important transition from the more expressive sculptures of the early 1980s toward the distilled visual language that would become a hallmark of Van Alstine's mature public work.
October 1988. Granite, stainless. Dimensions: 144 × 76 × 48 in (366 × 193 × 122 cm).
Corporate commission - Washington, DC.
East River Totem (1988) was commissioned for a prominent public site in Washington, D.C., during a period when John Van Alstine's sculpture was evolving toward a leaner, more architectural vocabulary. Rising sixteen feet, the work combines granite and stainless steel in a vertical composition that recalls ancient standing stones while embracing the precision and materials of the modern city. The sculpture reflects Van Alstine's growing interest in creating forms that serve as visual landmarks—connecting earth, sky, and the experience of place.
While rooted in the enduring permanence of stone, East River Totem also expresses movement and balance through its dynamic interplay of mass and line. Created at a pivotal moment in the artist's career, the commission foreshadowed the elegant totems, portals, and celestial works that followed, including SCR Sunwork, Artery Sunwork, and Passage. It represents an important transition from the more expressive sculptures of the early 1980s toward the distilled visual language that would become a hallmark of Van Alstine's mature public work.
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