Study for Earthwork Proposal — Robert Smithson. 1969.
Medium: Graphite, fiber-tipped pen and colored crayons on cream wove paper, laid down on wood pulp board. Dimensions: 45.2 × 60.8 cm (17 13/16 × 23 15/16 in.).
Collection record: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.
Interested in the outdoor, natural environment as an alternative site to the interior, decontextualizing space of museums, Smithson produced this earthwork study as a document of one moment in the continual process of environmental flux. The drawing depicts a partial view of one hundred glass squares embedded in a mound of earth. The placement of the glass on the ground surface outlines the general form of the mound though the parallel, horizontal arrangement of the squares contrasts with the mound's convex irregularity. The reflective yet transparent nature of the glass dissolves the boundary separating sky and land by integrating reflected light and color with earthen forms and substance.
Description: © Art Institute of Chicago, original record, CC BY 4.0. HTML formatting removed; wording retained. Other artwork metadata: CC0.
Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.
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