May 2009. Slate, pigmented and sealed steel. Dimensions: 10.25 × 17 × 9 in (26 × 43 × 23 cm). Private Collection.
After completing more than 150 sculptures in the original Sisyphean Circle series, a new direction emerged—the Sisyphean Holiday series. These works take a lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek approach, suggesting that Sisyphus (and perhaps the artist) might finally deserve a break—a holiday from the endless task.
Here, the familiar “Sisyphean stone” is placed within a vessel form reminiscent of an Adirondack guideboat or canoe. The shift offers a playful twist, transforming the symbol of perpetual struggle into one of pause, reflection, and perhaps even leisure.
—John Van Alstine
May 2009. Slate, pigmented and sealed steel. Dimensions: 10.25 × 17 × 9 in (26 × 43 × 23 cm). Private Collection.
After completing more than 150 sculptures in the original Sisyphean Circle series, a new direction emerged—the Sisyphean Holiday series. These works take a lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek approach, suggesting that Sisyphus (and perhaps the artist) might finally deserve a break—a holiday from the endless task.
Here, the familiar “Sisyphean stone” is placed within a vessel form reminiscent of an Adirondack guideboat or canoe. The shift offers a playful twist, transforming the symbol of perpetual struggle into one of pause, reflection, and perhaps even leisure.
—John Van Alstine
