So this week James Turrell was formally inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which gives me an occasion to post some pictures I took recently at one of his skyspace installations.
Before I experienced one for myself, people suggested checking out the YouTube videos of these installations — but I did not find any that did the Turrell piece justice.
To refresh: For these pieces, Turrell creates an enclosed room with an open space through which viewers see the 
sky. For a period surrounding each dawn and sunset, visitors sit through his choreographed interior light projections that affect the way we see the sky through the open ocular. Outside, for example, the sky may still be light blue, but inside, surrounded by articial light, it may appear to be purple.
The effect, as these photos — taken over the course of an hour, and therefore just a sampling — show, creates a picture not unlike Rothko paintings.
Read the photos from the top left to top right, middle left, then middle right, etc.
Much occurred in-between, of course. It’s a fascinating study in perception.
Works by all the recent inductees to the Academy will be on view there through June 12. They include Malcolm Morley and Cy Twombly.
Photo Credit: © Judith H. Dobrzynski