Sol LeWitt

SOL LEWITT (Hartford, Connecticut, 1928 – New York, 2007).
“Form Derived from a Cubic Rectangle (steps),” 1992.
Color woodcut on Fukui-Kozo Japanese paper, print no. 19/75.
Signed and numbered in pencil.
Printed by Takuji Hamanaka, Watanabe Studio Ltd., Brooklyn, New York.
Publisher: Juventudes Musicales de España, Barcelona.
Bibliography: Sol LeWitt Prints Catalogue Raisonné, no. 1992.02.
Measurements: 57.5 x 77 cm (paper); 73.5 x 93.5 cm (frame).

Created in 1992, this woodcut belongs to a mature period in the career of Sol LeWitt, a key figure in American conceptual art. The work revisits one of the central themes of his career: the generation of geometric structures based on principles of order, repetition, and modular transformation. The composition features a succession of four staggered planes that, through the combination of blue, red, and gray surfaces, take on a distinct three-dimensional appearance against an intense yellow background. The precision of the contours and the chromatic hallmarks create an interesting interplay between the representation of volume and the two-dimensionality of the support. In contrast to the austerity of his early minimalist structures, this print reflects the gradual incorporation of color into his artistic language, while maintaining the constructive rigor that characterizes his work. The work is documented in the catalog raisonné of his graphic work.

Sol LeWitt was one of the leading proponents of Conceptual Art and Minimalism during the 1960s. Trained at Syracuse University, he developed a body of work based on geometric systems and serial procedures, advocating the primacy of the idea over its material execution. His famous Wall Drawings, begun in 1968, revolutionized the relationship between concept, authorship, and artistic execution. In 1978, MoMA in New York dedicated a major retrospective to him, followed by other international exhibitions, including one organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2000. His work is part of collections such as those of MoMA, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and SFMOMA. MASS MoCA in Massachusetts houses an extensive permanent installation of his wall drawings.