Inclined (Phelps)

Inclined
A side view of the sculpture "Inclined"
Artist	David Phelps
Location	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Coordinates	35°27′55″N97°30′33.9″W / 35.46528°N 97.509417°W / 35.46528; -97.509417

Inclined is a 2000 site-specific artwork by David Phelps, installed in Oklahoma City's Bricktown neighborhood of Oklahoma. ^[1]

The side view of the Inclined sculpture provides a clear look at the figure's intense focus and the textured surface of the sphere.

Description

The sculpture is made of bronze, steel, and cement. ^[2] The Oklahoman 's Steve Lackmeyer said the artwork "features the upper half torso of a dark-skinned man, double life size, pushing a big concrete sphere up a pair of rails", and has a title with multiple meanings, a characteristic "representative of Phelps' work". ^[3] Health care consultant Curtis Thomas served as a model for the piece. ^[3]

Reception

According to The Oklahoman, "Early on, critics questioned whether a sculpture portraying the upper torso of a dark-skinned man pushing a giant sphere up a pair of rails was appropriate for the thriving entertainment district." ^[3] Multiple members of the Metropolitan Area Projects Citizens Oversight Board's Construction Review Committee felt the sculpture "over-emphasized the civil rights struggle and ignored other historical aspects of Bricktown". ^[4]

See also

• Visual arts portal

• 2000 in art

References

1. "Inclined". cultureNOW. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
2. "David Phelps: Inclined, 2000". Sculpture.org. International Sculpture Center. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
3. LACKMEYER, STEVE (February 13, 2000). "BRICKTOWN ART TAKES SHAPE Creative artists put icing on MAPS cake". The Oklahoman . Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
4. Money, Jack (October 22, 1998). "Bricktown Artwork Runs Into Criticism". The Oklahoman. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2020.