Tilting at windmills Don Quixote fights windmills that he imagines are giants. A relevant portion of the novel states: Cervantes wrote "Don Quixote" in two parts, published respectively in 1605 and 1615, during the latter part of a historical period known as the Spanish Golden Age. During this age, Spain pursued military conquests in parts of Europe and conquered large parts of the Americas, which brought great riches to the country and inspired a flowering of the arts. In La Mancha, Castilla, Cervantes' setting for the novel, there still exist some examples of the era's windmills that Don Quixote found in his adventures.
Tilted Arc give the work to GSA, making it property of the United States. The post-minimalist artwork was designed and constructed in 1981. Exemplifying Serra's minimalist, conceptual style, "Tilted Arc" was a solid, unfinished plate of COR-TEN steel, long, tall, and thick. As its name suggests, it was slightly tilted. Placed in the Federal Plaza, the work bisected the space, blocking views and paths of those who frequented the plaza. Serra said of the design, "The viewer becomes aware of himself and of his movement through the plaza. As he moves, the sculpture changes. Contraction and expansion of the sculpture result from