Have you ever wanted to see a painting in progress? All month long, there will be three very large paintings in progress, designed by the renowned artist Sol LeWitt, at the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University. Don't expect to see LeWitt at the Castellani, though. The mural-size paintings will be constructed with directions faxed from the artist's studio. Museum staff and Niagara University students will then execute the work itself. The three minimalist paintings will be painted directly on the walls, always guided by the intentionally ambiguous directions of the artist so that, though the painters closely follow directions, the element of chance and perhaps creativity is not left out.
The unveiling of the final design will take place during the museum's monthly First Friday evening on April 4. It's an interesting project, perfect for the main exhibition hall of the Castellani, which has the highest space for art in the state outside of New York City.
Sol LeWitt is a New York artist born in 1928. He is a minimalist installation artist and a key figure in the development of conceptual art in the 1960s. Minimalist art is known for its sparse imagery -- a strip across a canvas or even an all-white or black canvas. In minimalism, less is really considered more. The movement was born as a reaction to the busyness and emotionalism of the abstract expressionists of the New York School. Minimalist paintings are often hard-edged, geometric designs done with a ruler or masking tape. There is coolness to them, a lack of emotion.
In the work at the Castellani, the decision-making comes before the actual execution of the work. It is conceptual in that the ideal comes first and is more important than execution or craftsmanship. LeWitt has said of his work, "The ideal becomes a machine that makes the art." How skilled are those painting on the gigantic walls? There really isn't any artistic ability required here. "It is usually free from the dependence on the skill of the artists as a craftsman," LeWitt has said.
Gallery Manager Kurt Von Voetsch has an important part to play in the project. "My job is to make it run smoothly," he said. He intends to post times when people can add a few lines. The art-making is open to the public, but Von Voetsch emphasizes that all must adhere to the guidelines of the art. He will simply monitor things.
The guidelines -- which were faxed in advance -- are as minimal as the work itself, but they are very explicit. Here is an example (the letters refer to specific walls):
B. Place 50 nails throughout the wall, randomly spaced. Connect each nail to all the other nails with white string.
A. Within a black square (outline) 15' x15', draw 10,000 blue straight lines using markers.
C. Within a black circle (outline), draw 10,000 not-straight lines using a marker.
The end results are easy to imagine, but the development of the pieces should be interesting. How strictly will the "artists" adhere to the directions? Will somebody really count those 10,000 straight and 10,000 not-straight lines?
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | March 25 2003 |