Sol Lewitt

SolLewitt
rForms
Thetwo Series
derived
froma Cuben
lnd rPyramidsn
Watercolours
from| 982to | 986andworksmatching
themin othermedia
THOMAS
DREHER
LeWitt has often executedseriesof works in several
media: drawings,watercolours,wall-drawings,wallpaintings,sculptures,printsand books.This goes also
for the series of works Forms derived from a Cube
and Pyramids- the foimer producedfrom 1981 onwards, the latter from 1984. Taq""+l^€g.se*o..{\,odß
Ap loo*eaf-:* Vnq<,eWCy ;"*t"" {oi _
Forms
derived
froma Cubqfrom1981onwards
The informationSol LeWitt gives for the construction
system of the Forms derived from a Cubel are reaily
brief:
1t"ffifr.ffiä['ole,
however,
notto negtect
Lewitt,s
realisationsin other media as he is constantlyproducing connectionsbetween these different mannersof
realisation.
The relevance,which the two serieshave for the developmentof his concept,can't be discussedhere,
becausethe space is limited. Neithercan be treated
in detail the importanceof the two seriesfor the further developmentof ConceptArt. Only the relationship between the two series is important now.
Sol Lewitt,
Wall-Drawing, 1986
25Ox 660 cm.
CourtesyGalerieVega,
(Liöge)
Plainevaux
lHtf tf IW 66Et<cus€
In an isometricdisplay,the side views are shortened
to half of the real lengthand are tilted 45 degreesin
relationto the unshortenedfront and back parts that
run parallelto the top and bottom marginsof the
sketchsheet.2This cavalierperspectiveis a type of
t h r e e - d i m e n s i o ndails p l a yt h a t c o n t r a d i c t sa v a n i s h i n g
point perspective.The front side is drawn in only one
viewing axis which in realityyou get only in a pure
front perspectivethat does not allow you to see any
o f t h e o t h e r p l a n e so f t h e c u b e . I n t h e v a n i s h i n gp o i n t
perspectivethe back part can not be as long as the
front side of the cube, as opposedto this isometric
perspectiveshown above,where just this is possible.
the side of one square.Accordingto the usual rules
of technicaldrawing,the shortenedsidesof the cube
would have the preciselength of one square,so that
one would get the measuresof the side views by
d o u b l i n gt h e i r l e n g t hi n t h e d r a w i n g ,w h e n a c t u a l l y
executingthe plannedcube. LeWitt'scube constructioncan not be used in this way.
An alternativeto this modifiedcavalierperspective
would be the followingaxonometry,which is also
called pure, unshortenedisometry.
Usingthe cavalierperspectivein technicaldrawing,
y o u u s u a l l ys h o r t e nt h e l e n g t ho f t h e s i d e sb y h a l f .
LeWitt'scube constructionis only an approximation
to this principle.
Hereall sidesare unshortened.They are drawn by
turningthem by an angle of 60 degrees.LeWitt used
displayof a
the axonometryfor the three-dimensional
variationof SerialProject No. 7 (1966)aand for a
simply planneddisplayin his serieslncompleteOpen
LeWitt'sconstructionmethod3enablesthe beholder
t o s e e t h e i b a s i cc u b e ' a s a u n i t o f f l a t s u r f a c e sd e r i v - Cubesf 974).5The drawbackof the axonometrylies
in the fact that cubes displayedin this way can not
ed from a square.The sidesof this squarehave to be
be understoodfully as threedimensionalbodiesat
dividedinto three sections.The points markingthe
sectionshave to be connectedso that the connecting first sight. The beholderfirst has to make use of
linesform a grid pattern.Into the small squaresat the some abstractionsto think his way from the immediatelyperceivableshape - the hexagon- down to a
sidesof the grid patternone has to place diagonals;
form, the cube. This is necessary,
three-dimensional
p
a
r
a
l
l
e
l
.
W i t h i nt h i s u n i t o f
t h e s ed i a g o n a l s h o u l dr u n
recipient
can grasp the patternin two dithe
because
flat surfacesone can stimulatethe eye to see conthan that of the threemore
easily
mensions,
relationvarious
three-dimensional
structingideasof
In
the
cavalierperspective,this is
cube.
dimensional
back
front
and
the
unshortened
The
length
of
ships.
not the case, despitethe fact that it does not follow
parts is the length of two squares.One gets the
closelythe principleof the vanishingpoint perspeclengthof the shortenedside views from the diagonal
tive. The irregularoutlinesand the missingsymmetry
of one square.This diagonalis a little bit longerthan
Sol Lewitt,
Pyramids (Detail), 1986
CourtesyMagasinCentreNationald'Art
Contemporain
de
Grenoble
axis make a more simplethree-dimensional
pattern
plausible.6
In the followinglines, I want to describethe connection between the flat surfacesand the threedimensionalaspectscontainedin the displayof the
cube selectedby LeWitt. Thesecognitivereconstructable relationships
would have been a further reason
for the selectionof one of the severaldifferenttypes
of isometricdisplay.
The relationships
betweenthe individualplanesare
the following:
E a c hp l a n ei n t h e d i s p l a yh a s d o t s a r i a n g e di n a g r i d
pattern.Each plane has an equivalentelsewherein
the cube with the same patternof dots. The relation
betweenthese planesis quite simplythat the other
planeequivalentto it, takes its place in the cube,
when tilted 180 degrees.This does not apply to the
squarein the middle,exceptwhen you see it as a
mirroredimage of itselftilted 180 degreesor as a
planethat consistsof two rectangulartriangles,one
of it being a repetitionof the other tilted 180 degrees.
LeWitt uses constructionlines to derive from one of
the basicforms of bodies- the cube - more complicatedstructuresby subtraction.This is quite like
some of the things done in technicaldrawingthrough
certainsubtractingconstructionmethods..The.derivationsare achievedby dividinginto halfsffiquarters the sidesof the 'basic cube' and connectingthe
r e s u l t i n gd i v i d i n gp o i n t sb y l i n e s .T h e f o l l o w i n gl i n e s ,
connectingcorner pointsof the grid pattern,are amb i g u o u sa n d c a n b e u n d e r s t o o dt h r e e - d i m e n s i o n a l l y
only by taking into accountthe context of particular
body constructions:
- - - dimensionally
ambiguouslinesgoingout from cornerpointsof the
grid pattern
Some of the linesthat can be connectedin more than
o n e w a y i n t h e t h r e ed i m e n s i o n sa r e l o s i n gt h e i r a m biguousmeaningin the cavalierperspective.LeWitt
only constructsthe three sidesof a body visiblefrom
'viewing
one
a n g l e.' 7 H e c o u l d d r a w t h e l i n e st h a t a r e
not visible,as well. This, however,would upsetthe
use of coloursthat have the purposeof denoting
p l a n e s . sW h e n o n e a l s o d r a w s t h e i n v i s i b l el i n e s ,t h e
arisingquestionis, how one is going to presentthe
p l a n e sh i d d e nb e h i n dt h e v i s i b l ep l a n e s ?W h e n s e v e r a l
planesintersect,one denotesthe areasresultingfrom
these intersections,
with additionalcolours,that
.19g6
Sol Lewitt, Wall-üawing, 1986 5OOx 1337+22,5+257 +22,8+337) cm. ExhibirionChambrcsd'Ami6, Gent, June_Seprember,
courtesy De Roover-Noirynck/Keppens-Holste6,
Gent Photo courtesy l\ruseumvan H€dendaagssKunst, 6ent i'troto phiiippeoegouert
3
Sol LeWitt, Wall-Drawing,1986
350 x 2200 cm.
Mus6ed'Art Moderne,Liöge
PhotoCourtesyGalerieVega,
Liöge
Plainevaux,
would indicatewhich side intersectsthe other. But
then one would get to a point where the complicated
colouringwould obscurethe form of the body one
wants to show in the watercolours.Then the beholder
would have to reconstructthese bodiesfor himself,
as is the case in some of LeWitt'saxiometricdisp l a y s ,b e c a u s ea s i m p l et h r e e d i m e n s i o n apl a t t e r ni s
n o t p l a u s i b l eL. e W i t tl e a ü e so u t a n y l i n e m e a n tt o i n dicatewhether a body is basedon a triangleor a
squareas its basicform. Everybody that can be produced along the linesof the watercolours,can be onthat have three identily one out of many alternatives
cal sides.
The coloursdenotingthe planesare selectedso as to
f a c i l i t a t ea c h i e v i n ga n i m m e d i a t et h r e e - d i m e n s i o neaflfect. The brightestcolour$mean that the flat marked
by it is at the front, a darkercolour*indicatespositionsat the top, and two very dark coloursare for
p l a n e sp o s i t i o n e da t t h e s i d e s .
With the help of a grid patternas the underly_ing
p l a n n i n gs y s t e mw i t h ' c o m m u n i c a t i v sei g n s ' , es e r v i n g
one's practicalpurposes,the cavalierperspectiveis
modifiedinto an autonomousdrawingsystemthat is
i n d e p e n d e not f a n y p r a c t i c apl u r p o s e .T h i s m o d i f i e d
systemwill allow one to recognizetwo- and threee ays of
d i m e n s i o n a li ,m m e d i a t ea n d c o n s t r u c t i v w
r
i
g
h
t
.
r e a d i n ga s a t h e m e i n i t s o w n
A l l t h i s i s d o n e b y a g e n e r i cd i s p l a yo f f o r m s t a k e n
' b a s i cc u b e ' . T h e s ef o r m s
f r o m t h e g r a m m a ro f t h e
are able to provokedifferentways of reading.The be'autoholdercan createconnectionsbetweenthe
'communican o m o u ss i g n s ' 1 0i n t h e d r a w i n ga n d t h e
t i v e ' a s p e c to f t h e s es i g n s ,b y d e v e l o p i n go, n t h e o n e
h a n d , i d e a sa b o u t h o w t o c a r r yo u t t h e d r a w n b o d i e s
t h r e e - d i m e n s i o n ailnl yt h e s p a c e ,a n d o n t h e o t h e r
h a n d b y c o n n e c t i n gt h e i d e a sw i t h t h e d i r e c tt h r e e dimensionaleffectsof the drawings.The suspensearconstructionand
ising betweenthe three-dimensional
t h e i l l u s i o no f p l a s t i c i t yi n t h e d r a w i n g sw i l l b e d i s cussedbelow.
I n t h e f r e e - h a n ds k e t c h e sd i a g o n a l i n e sa r e s o m e t imes drawn acrosstwo adjacentsquaresof the grid
pattern.Obviously,LeWitt does this only when no flat
surfaceof the constructedbody appearsat the sides
of the cube that are on these squaresof the grid patternl{Thereare even such constructionlinesthat have
been crossedout, left out, or not used at all, as well
a s f a u l t yc o l o u r i n g .
Evenback in 1981 and 1982, LeWitt used two of the
th ree bodv. co nstructions, in -wa$gqg&f.t"Jyo m th e
yearl gesHHätW#fädfrä8fiArzunn%
iiiör on srey
b a c k g r o u n df,o r p r o d u c i n gw o r k s i n o t h e r m e d i a .A s
earlyas in a seriesof drawingspublishedin Artfothe truncated
rum,12and in variousWatt-Drawings,13
p y r a m i da n d t h e o b t u s e - a n g l epda r a l l e l e p i p e d oa nr e
f e a t u r e d . l aU n l i k et h e w a t e r c o l o u r fsr o m 1 9 8 3 , n o n e
of these variantsshows the constructionderivedfrom
'basic cube'. LeWittwrote me about
the form of the
the method of usingthe same line of constructionin
the watercoloursas well as in other media
|!'l1211985). <UsuallyI do the drawings and the watercolours as such - not for use otherwise. I do walldrawings similar to the drawings or watercolours on
paper.r,The watercolourswe have beön talkingabout
so far in this essay,have been constructedby using
the same Form derived from a Cube that was used in
o t h e r m e d i a .T h i s b e i n gs o , i t s e e m sl o g i c a lt o t h i n k
that LeWitt'sstatementdoes not refer to the construction,but to the coloursor linesthat mark the diff e r e n ts i d e so f t h e b o d y a n d t h e b a c k g r o u n dl.n r e spect of the colours,the watercoloursin questiondiffer from older works carriedout in other media. From
the fact that, in 1984, LeWitt repeateda watercolour
f r o m 1 9 8 3 , w h i c h h a d a n o b t u s e - a n g l epda r a l l e l e p i p e don, we can infer that it is importantfor LeWittto
have differentcoloursfor the background,when he
paintsthe same constructionwith identicalcoloursfor
the figure in differentworks. ln the repetitionof the
first watercolour,the dark grey backgroundis changed to a bright grey background.Now the construction
l i n e sd o n o t o n l y s h o w t h e \ b a s i cc u b e i b u t a l s o t h e
grid patternon which it is based.lt strikesme that in
more recentvariationsof the same body, LeWitt
e x p o u n d se v e n m o r e p r e c i s e l yt h e p r i n c i p l eg u i d i n g
5
sol Lewitt, watercolour,1984 57 x57 cm. courtesyGalerieschiessel,München
h i s c o n s t r u c t i o nb, y a d d i n gs u p p o r t i n gl i n e s .
o n a b a c k g r o u n dT. h e r e l a t i o no f c o l o u r s ,w h i c h c o n stitutesthe tone of this backgroundis not repeated
e l s e w h e r ei n t h e t r i a n g l e s . r o
Some of the triangles,especiallywhen they are exThe Pyramid drawingsfeature colouredtriangles,that
t r e m e l ya s y m m e t r i c a lm
, a y a p p e a ri n c o m b i n a t i o n
are, in most cases,acute-angled.One or both of the
with other, viewer asymmetricaltriangles,as if they
longersidesof a triangleborderon sides of other
were on an axis rotatedderivationsof anothertriangle
triangleswith the same length.Those sidesof the
with a simplerform, seen from the front. According
trianglesthat are touchingeach other, are neverthe
t o R u d o l fA r n h e i m ,t h e i l l u s i o no f t h e ' d e p t h e f f e c t ' ,
shortestsidesof the triangles.By arrangingtriangles
broughtabout througha perceptual'distortion',is
in this way, you get at the top a point, where two of
made very evident to the beholder,<becausetheir
the three sidesof each triangleconvergerespectively compensation in the third dimensions produces the
from where they are radiating,and below a kind of
simplestavailablepatterns.rl6 But with trianglesthis
'angular
c u r v e ' , c o m p o s e do f s h o r t s i d e sl i n e du p i n
d o e s n ' tf u n c t i o na s w e l l a s w i t h r e c t a n g l e sT. h e s i g n s
differena
t n g l e s .I n t h e e x a m p l e sk n o w n t o m e , t h e
of the drawing may ratherlead the recipientto configure thus achievedforms a pattern,standingisolated structionsof possiblespaces,which give the two6
Pyramids,
from1984onwards
Sol LeWitt, Watercolour, 1983
20x20
c m . C o u r t e s y G a l e r i eS c h i e s s e l ,M ü n c h e n
d i m e n s i o n af lo r m s a f u n c t i o nf o r ' c o m m u n i c a t i n g '
t h r e e - d i m e n s i o nbaol d i e st h a n t o a ' c o m p e n s a t i o n
in
t h e t h i r dd i m e n s i o n s ' .
By using different'brightng^ss
gradients'17
and differ'gradient[s]
ent
o f c o l o u r ' ' ö i n d i f f e r e n t r i a n g l e st,h e
colouringmay intensify,modify, or weakenthe sense
of plasticityprovokedby the forms. lf you read a
t h r e e - d i m e n s i o nqaul a l i t yi n t o a ' p y r a m i d ' - d r a w i n g ,
'depth
effects' by optical 'distortions'and 'perceptual
gradients'may intensifyor alter your constructionson
a p s y c h o l o g i c lael v e l . l e
The addedtrianglesmay invokeassociationsof reliefl i k e c r e a t i o n sl,i k ef a n s , o r o f b o d i e s ,l i k e p y r a m i d s ,
w h i c h m a y a l l u d et o s o m e t h i n gl i k et e n t s .
When I asked him about the systemthe watercolours
m i g h t b e b a s e du p o n , L e W i t tg a v e m e t h e f o l l o w i n g
answer: <Thepyramids are done without a system but
a seriesof interrelatedtrianglesl2o These relationships betweentrianglescan be deducedfrom pyramids in the series of works Forms derived from a
Cube,just like the relationships
betweentrianglesto
be seen in the Wall-Drawingspresentedat the Galleria Mario Pieroni2l in Rome in 1983, or in a waterc o l o u ro f t h e s a m e y e a r . 2 2l f o n e w o u l d a b a n d o nt h e
isometriccube constructionshown in the watercolour
j u s t m e n t i o n e dt,h e n s u c h a w a t e r c o l o u cr o u l d b e
'cubes',
c l a s s i f i e dn o t o n l y a s a w o r k b e l o n g i n gt o t h e
'pyramids'
'Wallbut also to the seriesof
like the
Drawings' shown in Rome. However,the ways of
t h r e e - d i m e n s i o nraela d i n gw i l l b e c o m em o r e o p e n
without the three-dimensional
constructionbasedon
t h e ' b a s i c c u b e ' . T h e t o p o f t h e p y r a m i di n t h e w a t e r -
c o l o u rm e n t i o n e da b o v e ,l i e so n t h e t o p m a r g i no f t h e
f l a t s u r f a c ea t t h e b a c k o f t h e ' b a s i cc u b e ' ; i n t h e i m m e d i a t et h r e e - d i m e n s i o niaml p r e s s i o n
w i t h o u ta c o n s t r u c t i o ni t a p p e a r si n t h e m i d d l e . 2 3l
l
The Forms derived from a Cube clearlydefine the pos i t i o no f t h e f i g u r ei n t h e s p a c e ,b u t s t i l l c r e a t ei m pressionsinconsistentwith the senseof three. h e n t h e r e c i p i e n lto o k sa t t h e
d i m e n s i o n apl l a s t i c i t yW
Pyramids,he is confrontedwith the task to underlay
t h e f o r m o n d i s p l a yw i t h s o m e c u b i c o r n o n - c u b i c
c o n s t r u c t i o nn, o m a t t e r ,w h e t h e ro r n o t t h i s c o n structionis consistentwith the immediateimpression
o f p l a s t i c i t yi n t h e s p a c e ,w h i c h t h e b e h o l d e rg e t s
f r o m i t . L o o k i n ga t L e W i t t ' sw o r k s , t h e b e h o l d e rc a n
a l w a y se s t a b l i s hd i r e c ta n d i n d i r e c tc o n s t r u c t i n gr e l a t i o n s h i p bs e t w e e nt h e ' a u t o n o m o u ss i g n s 'a n d t h e
'communicative
s i g n s ' i n t h r e e - d i m e n s i o nsapl a c e .
T h e ' t w o f o l ds e m i o t i cf u n c t i o n 'o f s i g n sa c t i n g' a u t o n o m o u s l y 'i n t h e w o r k , a n d v i r t u a l l y' c o m m u n i c a t i v e '
i n t h e b e h o l d e r ' sr e c e p t i o nc, a n t h u s b e m a d e e v i dent.2a
ln the Pyramids, as well as in the Forms derived from
a Cube, a suspensebetweenthe two- and the threed i m e n s i o n awl a y s o f r e a d i n gs p r i n g st o l i f e , i n t e r a c t i n g w i t h a d i r e c ta n d a c o n s t r u c t i n g
way of reading.
T h e b e h o l d e rc a n r e v e a lt o h i m s e l ft w o - a n d t h r e e d i m e n s i o n awl a y s o f r e a d i n g t h e w o r k s i n a n d i r e c t
or a constructingmannerrfi-ä"s?ää'teWittthe question
m e n t i o n e da b o v e ,a b o u t t h e u n d e r l y i n gs y s t e mf o r t h e
Pyramiddrawings,becauseone can clearlysee from
the drawing done to preparethe Wall-Drawingat the
exhibitionProcess& Konstruktionin Munich last year
t h a t L e W i t tc a n a l s o d e v e l o pt h e t r i a n g l e sb y u s i n g
w a y s o f c o n s t r u c t i o nl;i k et h e o n e s h e u s e d i n h i s
Sol LeWitt,10/82, (798?
seriesLocationsof Points/ Lines/ Forms.25yet,
s o m e a r t i s t i cd e c i s i o n sh a v e b e e n m a d e h e r e ,t h a t
c a n n o t b e e x p l a i n e db y t h e m e t h o do f c o n s t r u c t i o n .
ln the Locationsseries,LeWitt did not give inform a t i o na b o u t m e a s u r e m e n t sb,e c a u s et h i s c o n c e p t
can be repeatedas often as required,on supportsof
anysize.26
I n t h e d r a w i n gm e a n tt o p r e p a r et h e w o r k s f o r t h e
M u n i c he x h i b i t i o nh, o w e v e r ,t h e m e a s u r e m e n tosf t h e
w a l l s ,a s w e l l a s t h e m e a s u r e m e n tfso r t h e l e n g t h s
t h a t c a n n o t b e d e d u c e df r o m t h e c o n s t r u c t i o nm e thod, are given. Thus, Ihis Wall-Drawingcan be rep e a t e do n l y o n a w a l l o f t h e s a m e s i z e .
L e W i t tw r o t e m e a b o u t h i s p y r a m i ds c u l p t u r e s :
<Forpyramids the drawings look like this:
The dark line is the base. The X is the apex. The
height is usually the same as the length & width of
the base or half or double. - Atl pieces are white.r27
T h e s ep y r a m i d sl o o k l i k e m o d e l sc a r r i e do u t a f t e r
d r a w i n g s- a s t a g ei n t h e p r o d u c t i o np r o c e s s a
,t
w h i c h o n e m a y s o l i c i tt h e a s s i s t a n c o
ef a technical
d r a w i n gb u r e a ut o w o r k o u t t h i n g sb e t w e e nt h e p l a n n i n g p h a s eo f t h e p r o j e c ta n d t h e p h a s e ,i n w h i c h i t i s
put into practice.The flat surfacesof the pyramids
m i g h t a p p e a ri n v a r i o u sd e g r e e so f b r i g h t n e s sd, u e t o
l i g h t c o m i n g i n f r o m o n l y o n e s i d e .O n e c a n g e t a n
i m m e d i a t ev i s u a li m p r e s s i o n
o f t h e p l a s t i c i t yo f t h e
b o d y , b e c a u s et h e ' b r i g h t n e s sg r a d i e n t o
' f the planes
Watercolour
on hardboard,1 4x20 cm. C o u r t e s y G a l e r i eS c h i e s s e l ,M ü n c h e n
changesfrom strongto weak and from weak to
s f the
s t r o n g .O n e c a n e x p e r i e n c e
t h e r e a lp r o p o r t i o n o
b o d y b y g o i n g r o u n d i t . B o t h o b s e r v a t i o nm
s ay share
a c e r t a i ns u s p e n s eb e t w e e nt h e m , s i n c et h e i m m e d i t
a t e l yv i s i b l e' s i m p l e s a
v a i l a b l ep a t t e r n 'd o e s n o t n e cessarilygive one the real proportionsof the body in
t h e s p a c e .S o m e t i m e sy o u w i l l e v e n g e t , i n t h e c a s e
o f s o m e p y r a m i d s a, t w o - d i m e n s i o n apla t t e r n ,i f t h e
l i g h t m e e t st h e o b j e c ti n a s p e c i a w
l ay, particularly
when you see it for the very first time.
LeWitt's Working Drawingsfor the 'pyramids' show
thal Wall-Drawingsand sculpturescan be based on
c e r t a i nm e t h o d so f c o n s t r u c t i o nw, h i c h i n t u r n c a n f a c i l i t a t et h e i n t e l l e c t u aplr o c e s so f f i n d i n gf o r m s . T h e y
are not, however,arrangedso neatlyas to give us a
'grammar'
sortof
a s c o n s i s t e nat s t h e ' g r a m m a r 'o f
'
b
a
s
i
c
the
c u b e ' , w i t h t h e l o g i c a lr e l a t i o n s h i pess t a b l i s h e db e t w e e ni t s p l a n e sa n d i t s t h r e e - d i m e n s i o n a l
a s p e c t s .T h i s s u s p e n s eb e t w e e nc l o s e da n d o p e n l i near systems is a salientfeatureof Sol LeWitt's
@uvre: uThereare several ways of constructing a
work of art. One is by making decisionsat each step,
anotherby inventinga system to make decisions.r2s
L e W i t tu s e sa l l p o s s i b i l i t i eosf o p e n a n d c l o s e ds y s t e m s w i t h o u t a n a e s t h e t i cj u d g e m e n ta s a g u i d et o a
preferenceof one of them or of a certainbalance
b e t w e e nt h e m . T h i s c o n c e p t u ailn d i f f e r e n c ae g a i n s t
a e s t h e t i cj u d g e m e n t si s a ' b l i n dj r r p ' " o u t o f
aestheticconveniences.
The surprisingresultsmay be
very far or very near to such conveniences:LeWitt
d o e s n ' tc a l c u l a t eh o w f a r t h e ' j u m p ' h a s t o c a r r y h i m
i n t o n e w r e g i o n s .S o h i s c o n c e p t u ailn d i f f e r e n cteo
aestheticjudgementsis also an indifferenceto the
r
distinctionbetweenthe old and the new.
Translatedby Michael Müller,
revised by the author
(1 ) Sol Lewitt, on the 'l 3th of January 1986, in a letter to the author. The thin strokes
of the sketch reproduced below, have been done by LeWitt with a pencil, and the
thick strokes have been done with a black felt tio.
(2) LeWitt used the isometric display in patterned drawings of sculptures, already
s o m e y e a r s a g o ( c f . C a t . o f e x h i b . S . L . , H a a g sG e m e e n t e m u s e u m ,D e n H a a g , 1 9 7 0 ;
C a t . o f e x h i b . S . L . , P a s a d e n aA r t M u s e u m . L o s A n g e l e s , 1 9 7 0 ; C a t . o f e x h i b . S . L . :
Five Structures, HamarskjoldPlazaSculpture Garden/John Weber Gallery, New York,
1 9 7 6 ; C a t . o f e x h i b .S . 1 . , M u s e u m o f M o d e r nA r t , N e w Y o r k , 1 9 7 8 , p . 7 1 , p . 7 4 ,
d.u.
(3) As it emerg.es,for instance, from a watercolour reproduced in the catalogue of
th e exh ib ition Atir,ru.ctte", t(Äs6e|att<rr^^g[v6eirr
7 Kassel, 1 984 a n d S ix l so-metr ic
Figures drawn with india ink washes on the walls of the Gewad, Gent, i984.
( 4 ) C a t . o f e x h i b . S . L . , H a a g s G e m e e n t e m u s e u m ,D e n H a a g , 1 9 7 0 .
(5) Cat. of exhib. S.L.: lncomplete Open Cubes ..., Kölnischer Kunstverein, Köln,
1 9 7 9 , t i t l ep a g e ;C a t . o f e x h i b .S . L . . M u s e u m o f M o d e r n A r t , N e w Y o r k , 1 9 7 8 , p . 8 1 .
Another alternativeexample for the isometry, as used by LeWitt: cf . e.g. Cat. of exhib.
Aquarelle, Kasseler Kunstverein, Kassel, 1981 Amerikanische Zeichnungen 1g307980, Städtische Galerie, Frankfurta.M., 1985-86, p.97; Cat. of exhib. S.L.:
Locations of Three Geometric Figures, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles, 1974.
(6) R. ARNHEIM, Art and Visual Perception. A Psychology of the Creative Eye,
B e r k e l e y / L o sA n g e l e s , 1 9 5 7 , p . 2 0 3 a . o .
(7) In analogy to this, his'cube', made of stones covered with gesso (1984), on
display at the exhibition Sculpture in the 20th century in Basel, has no top side,
because the cube is too high to allow one to see the top side (reproduced. e.g. in
S. GASSERT, Zwischen Kunsttourismus und Standortsuchein Kunstforum, 1984, Bd.
73114, 1984, p.74.
I n 1 9 8 4 , o n e c o u l d s e e t h i s i n a m o d e l , d i s p l a y e da t t h e G a l l e r yS c h e l l m a n n& K l ü s e r ,
München.
( 8 ) F r o n t p l a n e : o c h r e ; t o p p l a n e : r e d ; s i d e p l a n e : b l u e , b l a c k . O n t h e p y r a m i d s .t h e
colour red may appear on the front plane and at the shortened sides (See Cat. of
exhib. S.1., Au fond de la cour ä droite, Chagny, 1984).
In the free-hand sketches the colours have been given numbers (obviously before the
colours were laid on): 1 =ochre; 2:red', 3:blue; 4:black.
(9) J. MUKAFOVSKY, L'art comme fait sociologique in Actes du huitiöme Congrös
lnternational dq,Philosophieä Prague,2-7 September 1934, Prague, 1936, p. 1068.
(10)-J. uUreROVSrY, Op. cit.,p. 1067.
(11)$-eWitt gave it the number 14Ot82. LeWitt marks the drawings with dates. He
g i v e s m o n t h , ( i n s o m e c a s e s ) d a y , a n d y e a r . T h e u n u s u a l s i g n a t u r eo f t h i s d r a w i n g
was explained by LeWitt like this: uThe 82 would be 1982 but the 140 is a mystery.>
&Sou t{t" c}w*ti*d\ o* o'ß '
o
\
I n t h e s e c o n d l e t t e r( 1 3 i 1 / 1 9 8 6 ) h e w r o t e , a f t e r s e e i n gt h e p h o t o g r a p h I h a d s e n t h i m :
K140/82 seems to be 10/82 as lcan see from the photo - anyway it is a date.>
l121 5.L., withouta title, in Artforum, October 1981, p. 59-69, and title page. The
three visible planes of the drawn objects are marked by one different hatching for each
s i d e ( f r o n t p l a n e : h o r i z o n t a l ;t o p p l a n e : d i a g o n a l l y f r o m l e f t t o r i g h t ; s i d e p l a n e :
v e r t i c a l .)
'cube'-drawings
Other sets of
in Cat. of exhib. Flyktpunkter, Moderna Museet,
Stockholm, 1984, p. 142-153; Edition S.L.: Forms derived from a Cube, Multiples
I n c . , N e w Y o r k , G a l l e r i aB o n o m o , B a r i , 1 9 8 4 .
( 1 3 ) B e t w e e n 1 9 8 1 a n d 1 9 8 2 , i n t h e w a l l - d r a w i n g s ,i n w h i c h t h e t r u n c a t e d p y r a m i d
and the obtuse-angled parallelogramwere used, Sol LeWitt varied the marking of the
several sides in the following way:
- h a t c h i n g sw i t h b l a c k c h a l k ( d i r e c t l o n so f t h e h a t c h i n g sf o r e a c h s i d e a s s h o w n i n
Artforum - cf . note 12) (Cat. of exhib. S.L.: Wall-Drawings 1968- /984, Stedelijk
M u s e u mA m s t e r d a m ,1 9 8 4 , N o . 3 5 3 , p p . 1 2 5 a n d 1 9 1 ) ;
- no marking of the several sides; black borders, 7,5 cm broad. to represent all
edges of the objects (Cat. of exhib. S. L.: Wall-Drawings ..., as above, No. 361 ,
,
pp. 133 and 192);
- hatchings with black borders, 7 ,5 cm broad (directions of the hatchings for each
plane as in Artforum. See note 12 rcaL of exhib. S.L.: Wall-Drawings ...,
No. 356, p. 130 a.o., p. 192).
- various hues of grey (front plane: bright grey; side plane: black) on a bright grey
b a c k g r o u n d( C a t . o f e x h i b . S . L . : W a l l - D r a w i n g s . . . , a s a b o v e , N o . 3 5 4 , p . 1 2 8
a.o., p. 133, p. 191; No. 375, p. 142, 148, 1931;
- various coulour tones (the way the planes are marked is the same as in the
watercolours) on bright grey background and with a black frame along the whole
w a l l ( C a t .o f e x h i b . S . L . : W a l l - D r a w i n g s. . . , N o . 3 8 0 , p . 1 4 0 a . o . , p . 1 5 4 , p . 19 3 ;
without frame repeated in Cat. of exhib. 20 jaar verzamelen, Stedelijk Museum,
Amsterdam, 1984, p. 28],.
( 1 4 ) R u p e r tW a l s e r t h i n k s a b o u t t h e p r o b l e m , w h y t h e r e a r e n o c u r v e s a n o c o n c a v e
and convexe planes of objects that could be outlined by them (R. WALSER, Eine Reise
zu Sol LeWitt nach ltalien in New Art in Europe, 10, 1985, p.8).
(15) The selection of colours is based on a closed system of combinations of four
colours with each other, which is shown in Four basic colors and all their combinations, in Cat. of exhib. La Grande Parade, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1984,
p. 211 a.o. Within this system hue-variants are possible by using more of totally f .e.
Jqur,gr-fjve parts of one colour than of the one, two or three other colours. LeWitt
fi8Eftbifthis closed colour-system with a linear syntax which constitutes an open
system. LeWitt uses different manners to denote the colours inlheWorking Drawings.
For an explanation of one of these manners see T. DREHER,Beuys zu Ehren, in: Das
Kunstwerkd XXXIX, 1986, in print. See also the sketches for Wall-drawrngs, in: R.
WALSER, Process & Konstruktion, in New Art in Europe, 8, 1985, p.34; Cat. of
exhib. Mario Merz - Sol LeWiff, GalleriaPieroni, Roma, 1985; Cat. of exhib. Chambres
d ' A m i s , M u s e u m v a n H e d e n d a a g s eK u n s t , G e n t , 1 9 8 6 , p . 1 1 6 1 ' l9 .
( 1 6 ) R . A R N H E I M ,O p . c i t . , p 2 2 6 .
(171 t(The light creates a spherical gradient that spreads from one point to all
directions in space.o (R. ARNHEIM, Op. cit., p. 225],.
(18) Stronger colours in the front, paler colours in the back create a three-dimensional
v i s u a li m p r e s s i o n( c f . R . A R N H E I M ,O p . c i t . , p . 2 2 4 1 .
( 1 9 ) R . A R N H E I M ,c f . n o t e 6 , p . 2 2 3 a . o .
(20) Sol Lewitt in a letterto the author on 13/1/1986.
(211 Cat. of exhib. S.L.: Wall-Drawings cI. note 13), No.407. pp. 158 and 196.
(221 The body construction and the colours of this watercolour (cf . note 3) are the
s a m e a s i n o n e o f t h e w a l l - d r a w i n g sa t t h e G a l l e r i aP i e r o n i ,R o m a .
(23) This also falls in line with Arnheim's hypothesis, that the distortions can be
brought back into perspective to form the simplest possible pattern (cf. note 16).
Q 4 l J . M U K A F O V S K Y, O p . c i t . , p . 1 0 6 9 .
(25) See picture in: R. WALSER, Process und Konstruktion in New Art in Europe,8,
1985, p. 34 (see note 1 5) the wall-drawing put into practice is shown in a photograph
in: T. DREHERand W. HEINDL, Nachbericht... in Fotosrafie Kultur Jat4t,40,.J985,.
p.78; M. HüBL, Prozessund Konstruktion, Münchenl 198b,;t:'17d)"l-fäir-''''""
Other Pyramid-Wall-Drawings in Cat. of exhib., Arte contemporanea, Castello di Rivoli
( T o r i n o ) / c o m i t a t op e r l ' a r t e i n P i e m o n t e ,1 9 8 5 , p . 5 5 , 5 7 , 1 2 9
(No.57); Cat. of
exhib., Mario Merz-Sol LeWitt, ibidem, (exhib. criticized by P.L. TAZZI, in Artforum,
S u m m e r 1 9 8 6 , p . 1 3 4 ) ; C a t . o f e x h i b . , S . L . - P y r a m i d e nG
, a l e r i eP e t e rP a k e s c h ,W i e n ,
1 986 (exhib. criticized by P. GROOT, in: WolkenkratzerArt Journal , Nr. 1 3, 3. JS.,
J u n i / J u l i / A u g u s t3 / 1 9 8 6 , p . 6 9 ) ; C a t . o f e x h i b . : l t a l i a A p e r t a , M a d r i d / l d e a B o o k s ,
Amsterdam 1986; J. GUILLOT, S.L.: Wall-Drawings au Magasin, Grenoble, in
GaleriesMagazine,14, 1986, p. 59. 86; Cat. of exhib. Eeuys zu Ehren, Lenbachgalerie, München 1 986, p 3.35^181,
(26) See Cat. of exhib. S.L.: The Location of Eight Points, Max Protech Gallery,
Washington D.C., 1974; Cat. of exhib. S.L.: Ihe Location of Three Geometric
Figures: Three Wall-Drawings, Galleria Sperone, Torino 1974,
(27) Sol LeWitt in a letter to the author on 211211985. The grid pattern of LeWitt's
free-hand drawing is done with red felt tip, everything else is done with black felt tip.
T h e e x a m p l e , a c t u a l l y p u t i n t o p r a c t i c e , i s p u b l i s h e di n : R . W A L S E R ( c f . n o t e 1 4 ) ,
p.9. Announcement S.L., New Structures, Young Gallery, Chicago in Artforum,
Summer 1986, p.24.
(28) Cat. of exhib. S.L. Wall-Drawings ... (cf. nore 13), p. 20.
(29) L. WIJERS, Gesprek met Sol LeWitt, in Museumjournaal 1512, april 1970,
p. 147. On 13.1.1986 LeWitt wrote me. that he follows today the same intention,
which he had expressed in his definition of 'conceptual art' as a 'blind jump' out of
the rational into the irrational while doing rational things automatically.
This article is a revised version of the german essay in: Cat. of exhib. S.L.: Aquarelle
v o n 1 9 8 2 - 1 9 8 5 , G a l e r i eS c h i e s s e l ,M ü n c h e n , 1 9 8 6 .
Sol LeWitt (o1928, Hartford,Connecticut,U.S.A.) livesand works
in Spoleto(ltatyland New York City.
Thomas Dreheris preparinga thesis on <ConceptArt in America
and Englandbetween 1965 and 1975D.He works as an art-critic
tor Das Kunstwerk and Neue Kunst in Europa.
I