Chapter 16 Summary and Analysis

Between 1957 and 1970, Irwin's work can be chartered by time and focused progression. However, by 1970, he has answered many of his questions and has arrived at an evenness of curiosity—there is not one burning challenge that is facing him. It is difficult to describe Irwin's work after 1970 as the work is impossible to pigeon-hole. His installations were made based on locale and many of the installations no longer exist. Irwin often operates in contradiction - he installs a project in a museum to make the case that the museum is irrelevant. When an artist departs from the orthodoxy of the art world, he is going against long established paradigms.

During this time period, Irwin works on scrim projects. Scrim is a semi-transparent material used in Holland and other locales for window dressing. Irwin is attracted to how the light plays...