Number 235 (work of art)
Artwork Info
Key Ideas
- This large-scale wooden sculpture resembles the stump and roots of a tree. It explores themes of decay and transformation.
- Leonardo Drew is a contemporary American artist known for his abstract sculptures.
- Drew’s sculptures are made from materials that he intentionally weathers, burns, or causes to rust or decay.
- Drew grew up in an apartment that overlooked a landfill. This experience influenced the types of materials he uses and the themes he explores in his work.
Learn More
Leonardo Drew is a contemporary American artist who lives in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in social housing that overlooked the city dump in Bridgeport, Connecticut. This experience influenced the materials Drew uses, as well as the themes he explores in his art. A recurring theme in his work is the cyclical process of birth, life, death, and regeneration. This theme of decay and transformation is found in Number 235, which resembles the stump and roots of a tree. The shades of black used in this sculpture give it the appearance of a dying tree stump. Its form resembles the aftermath of both natural and human-made disasters.
I think that’s the cyclical nature of just being, like birth, like death, and regeneration. It’s a very simple map of life. I think that I follow that naturally and organically, without actually ever claiming it, it was just there. I started making work, and it’s like, yes you are calling out all of these things that are part of your memory, your body’s memory, things that have gone through your pores, what you’ve seen, what you’ve experienced, and you spill them out without thinking. I don’t think so much about, “Okay, I’m going to make work, and it’s going to be about this.” It’s just going to come out.
Leonardo Drew
Drew is known for making abstract sculptures out of mixed materials. He usually works with natural materials like wood, metal, cotton, and ceramic. He intentionally subjects the materials to the processes of weathering, burning, oxidation (rust is a form of oxidation), and decay.
Drew does not give his works formal names. Instead they are assigned numbers and sometimes letters. He views this as cataloging the works without naming them. He wants viewers to make connections to his work without anything guiding their opinions.
They’re numbered because you should have your experience. Why should you be bogged down with my titles and how I thought about it and my poetic reasoning? No, that’s not necessary. Either you’re going to be drawn into it [or not]. It’s a black hole; gravity should pull you in and you should have that experience.
Leonardo Drew
Additional Resources
Resources for Teachers
- Watch a video of Drew discussing his life and work.
- View another work by the artist.
- Read a transcript from an interview with the artist.
Resources for Students
- View another work by Drew.
- Watch a video of the artist discussing his work.
- View more works by the artist.
Images
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Number 235
A large-scale, abstract black sculpture. It is made up of many pieces of wood and resembles a tree stump and roots. The bottom of the sculpture is made up of wood pieces that stick out in every direction, like the root system of a tree.
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Number 235 by Leonardo Drew
A large-scale, abstract black sculpture. It is made up of many pieces of wood and resembles a tree stump and roots. The bottom of the sculpture is made up of wood pieces that stick out in every direction, like the root system of a tree.
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Number 235 by Leonardo Drew
A large-scale, abstract black sculpture. It is made up of many pieces of wood and resembles a tree stump and roots. The bottom of the sculpture is made up of wood pieces that stick out in every direction, like the root system of a tree.
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Number 235 by Leonardo Drew
A large-scale, abstract black sculpture. It is made up of many pieces of wood and resembles a tree stump and roots. The bottom of the sculpture is made up of wood pieces that stick out in every direction, like the root system of a tree.