File:Charles Ross StarAxis Solar Pyramid.jpg

Image of Charles Ross earthwork, Star Axis, Solar Pyramid with triangular entrance to the Hour Chamber (1971– ). The image illustrates a key element of Charles Ross's earthwork, Star Axis, an architectonic sculpture and naked-eye observatory in eastern New Mexico. It depicts the "Solar Pyramid" with the triangular entrance to the "Hour Chamber". The angles of the 52-foot-high Solar Pyramid were determined by the summer and winter solstices, and the structure casts shadows like a sun-dial, marking daily and seasonal sun movements on the bowtie-shaped, exterior "Shadow Field." The Hour Chamber frames one hour of the earth’s rotation; in that time, any given star will take sixty minutes to arc from the opening’s left (west) edge to the right (east) edge, while Polaris remains at the apex due to the alignment of the structure. This work has been discussed in major art journals and daily press publications.

Artist Charles Ross. Copyright held by the artist.

Star Axis

Earthwork image, detail

Yes

The image serves an informational and educational purpose as the primary means of illustrating a major element of the key earthwork, Star Axis by sculptor Charles Ross: the sculpture's "Solar Pyramid" with a view of the triangular entrance to the "Hour Chamber." Star Axis is an architectonic sculpture and naked-eye observatory situated on the eastern plains of New Mexico that Ross has been constructing for more than forty years. The sculpture and its views are carefully constructed to align with astronomical phenomena such as the vernal equinox sunrise, echoing ancient structures that are also aligned to the sun and stars. Critics have described the work as a summary of Ross's lifelong pursuit of the dynamics of human interaction with light and the cosmos. The work's Star Tunnel continues into the 52-foot-high Solar Pyramid, which functions like a sun-dial, casting shadows that mark daily and seasonal sun movements. The Hour Chamber frames one hour of the earth’s rotation, the time it takes any given star to arc across its opening. Because the article is about an artist and his work, the omission of the image would significantly limit a reader's understanding and ability to understand this central element in a key work, which has brought Ross ongoing recognition through locations and coverage by major critics and publications. This work is discussed in the article and by critics cited in the article.

There is no free equivalent of this or any other of this series by Charles Ross, so the image cannot be replaced by a free image.

The image will not affect the value of the original work or limit the copyright holder's rights or ability to distribute the original due to its low resolution and the general workings of the art market, which values the actual work of art. Because of the low resolution, illegal copies could not be made.