The scale, presence, and composition of Amba and Orca were inspired by the works of Barnett Newman, with specific reference to the Stations of the Cross, a series of paintings from the 1950s and 1960s that is in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. In these works Turrell isolates light as a perceptual sensation unto itself, one in which purely optical effects acquire an almost bodily presence. Previously, Turrell was represented in the Gallery's collection by prints and photographs related to the Roden Crater. The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden, located on the National Mall between Third and Ninth Streets at Constitution Avenue, NW, are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5.p.m. The Gallery is closed on 25 December and 1 January.
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