Me Standing at the Mass MOCA Lewitt Exhibit in North Adams, MA
My Love of Sol Lewitt by Dr. Sam Lam
I am always looking for inspiration as an artist and no one has had as much a profound impact in my work as the late Sol Lewitt. He was the pioneer of the conceptual movement of the 1960s in which he championed the idea over the execution. I myself have loved the idea of the concept because the two times that I get most excited about my work is when I think of an original idea and when I sit comfortably looking at my work before the final touch of paint even dries. Lewitt provides pristine geometry, vivid colors, and restraint. Although I like Jackson Pollock, it is not how I enjoy looking at paintings. It is too uncontrolled for how I do a painting. I like order and balance through control but through some expression of painterliness. Lewitt just does it for me. Great stuff. I have seen a lot of his retrospectives but if anyone has time to make it to Mass MOCA in western Massachusetts, you will see the amazing (almost overkill) Lewitt exhibit there that opened on November 16, 2008 and will run for 25 years.
Here is a fun video showing the installation of a wall painting: