Tony Orrico

Born in Chicago, IL, Orrico began his career in

dance. He received his bachelors degree in
Dance Theater from Illinois State University and
his MFA in Choreography from University of Iowa.
He then used his skills as a dancer to begin
creating kinetic artwork where he uses his whole
body to draw.
Penwald: 4: unison symmetry standing | 2010

Critical Study:
Orrico uses his entire body to create a variety of kinetic drawings. He lies on the
floor, stands, and sometimes even falls to create dynamic lines and marks using
materials such as graphite or charcoal. His Art making is a performance and is made in
front of audiences at museums and galleries.

Structural Frame:
What formal elements (line,
shape, value, etc.) can you
see in Orricos work?
How do those elements
make the artwork more
interesting?
What kind of meaning you can
find in this artwork? Does it
represent something?

8 circles | Photo by Michael Hart | Edition of 8 | 40 x 26

Vocabulary:

Kinetic: movement and the results of

movement
Penwald: referring to a learned ambidexterity,
or being able to use both hands to complete
tasks simultaneously. Also the title of one of
Orricos drawing series.
Spirograph: a drawing toy which creates
geometric and circular forms similar to those
of Orricos drawings. Oricco has been called a
human Spirograph for the way he creates his

Resources:
http://www.trendsnow.net/2011/05/to
ny-orrico.html/tony-orrico-03
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2010/1
1/tony-orrico-penwald-drawings/
http://www.jacksonpollock.org/convergence.jsp
http://tonyorrico.com/

Waxing and Waning | Photo: Joshua Minatrea

Subjective Frame:
What feeling does this artwork evoke?
How does the artists process change
the way you feel like about the final
outcome of the work?
How would this artwork make you feel
if you saw it in person?

Postmodern Frame:
How is the artists performance
drawing different from regular
drawing?
Would his artwork be as meaningful if
there was not an audience to watch it
as it is made?
He creates his work in gallery and
museum spaces. Does this have an
effect on the artwork? Why?
Unison Symmetry Standing

Historical
Study:
Action painting
was created by
the artist
Jackson Pollock.
Pollock used
movement to
create his
artwork by
dripping,
splattering, and
pouring paint
onto his

Convergence, 1952

Art Making: Consider the way Pollock and Orrico moved their bodies to create the
marks they did. Using various materials practice making similar lines to learn how
each artists kinetic artwork is made.

Cultural Frame:
Tony Orricos work is sometimes compared
to the drawings made by a toy called a
Spirograph and he is even sometimes
called the human Spirograph.
What makes his drawing different from
that of the toy?
Do his drawings have more meaning than
what can be created using the Spirograph?