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Sculpture by Gerola (continued)
Kinetic art was invented in 1913 when Marcel Duchamp stuck a bicycle wheel on a kitchen stool. This "happy idea" of combining "ready made" objects sprung from Duchamp's absence of taste, or as he put it, "visual indifference... a complete anesthesia." Bicycle wheels can be inspirational, made with fragile components harmoniously united for strength. They spin hypnotically. Duchamp said this calmed him, but not necessarily his critics. "A work of art is not complete without viewers asking questions."
So can be said of Gerola's sculptures. His abstract, modernist objects startle, then take on a life of their own in your mind. Kinetics have been realized by scores of important artists, notably Alex Calder. Gerola isn't interested in duplicating anyone else's work, nor even his own. "Representational art of animals, figures, mountains have already been explored thoroughly; I get my inspiration from what I don't see, influenced by nature and senses. Things in nature are casual, imperfect, and wonderful."
Apart from Gerola, who studied Physics at University of Dayton, Ohio, few artists function on such an advanced level. Seldom is sculpture pursued from a balanced perspective, one equally influenced by eastern philosophy, technical knowhow, and western discipline. Indifference be damned, Gerola's work gets you to look and think attentively. During three decades of recognition, sculptures by Gerola have headlined Art Expos, garden shows, juried publications, and sculpture gardens. Your initial admiration grows when you consider in full what you're seeing.
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