Artist research-Sol Lewitt and Agnes Martin

Sol Lewitts wall painting-“scribbles”

Background on artist

Sol Lewitt is an American minimalist artist whose working years were from the   1960’s to early 2000’s. His art comprised of lines,basic shapes and simplified colours. Lewitt’s 2D and 3D work ranges from outdoor installations, wall drawings to sculptures.

Practice & style

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Sol LeWitt – Scribbles

Sol’s wall paintings were mainly executed in graphite directly on to the surfaces of large walls. His series of ‘scribble’ wall drawings, so termed because they required the draftsmen (he usually had assistants to put his art together for him as he felt that each person had a different perspective/understanding on drawing lines) to fill in areas of the wall by scribbling with graphite. The scribbling was done at six different densities to create an illusion of a gradient and depth, which gives his 2D work a 3D tone. Although the scribbling looks rather random and chaotic,they were drawn according to an exacting set of guidelines,to give the final outcome a consistent, well put together look when viewed from afar.

Take aways

I found it interesting how there is a “system to the madness” type feel to his work. When viewed from up close, the details are very apparent- the messy, almost random curvilinear lines. When viewed from afar, you are able to see the big picture,the gradient effect, which looks orderly and simple, Both of which evoke completely different emotions in me.This gave me exposure on the various ways I can express different emotions through mark making in a piece of art.

Cai Guo-Qiangs gunpowder drawings

Background on artist

Cai guo-Qiang was born in China that was formerly a calligrapher and traditional painter.He was exposed to western literature and traditional Chinese art forms as he spent worked at a bookstore. He grew up in a setting where explosions were common, Therefore, he used gunpowder as his medium to create art.

Practice&style

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http://www.artandsciencejournal.com/post/38981362625/cai-guo-qiang-gunpowder-drawings-wan-hu-was-a

Cai Guo-Qiang: Gunpowder Drawings

http://www.artandsciencejournal.com/post/38981362625/cai-guo-qiang-gunpowder-drawings-wan-hu-was-a

Cai initially began working with gunpowder drawings to foster spontaneity and confront the suppressive, controlled artistic tradition in China. While living in Japan, Cai explored the properties of gunpowder in his drawings, which eventually led to his experimentation with explosives on a massive scale and the development of his signature “explosion events”. When he ignites his work,it gives the feeling of tension and release-due to the amount of planning and labour it took to produce his art, and it makes his work like a “performance” per se.

Takeaways

Cai has incorporated western and Asian elements in his artwork,which gives his art an interesting touch because you would not typically expect an artist to use gunpowder as a medium to be used in traditional Chinese art. When i think of gunpowder i immediately think “destruction”, but his works have shown the opposite.By using gunpowder, he created works of art. This gave me more insight on how i can incorporate various cultures and mediums to make my own work more exciting.

One thought on “Artist research-Sol Lewitt and Agnes Martin”

  1. Hi Dhanusha,

    Good overview and research! Some things to note with regards to OSS posting, please reference your images and include a “featured image” for all your posts.

    Thanks!

    Joy

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