Sol Lewitt was an American sculptor and painter; he was a pioneer in post-war era art, as he helped popularize conceptualism and minimalism in art works (NY Times). For LeWitt, art was a form of expression where he found  “delight and regard are in the making of art, and then sharing the results” (Retrospective).  His work showcased a combination of creative ingenuity and well-thought out visions.Lewitt’s artistic motives and desired messages are essential to interpreting one of his most fascinating masterpieces: On a Blue Ceiling.  

Sol LeWitt was on September 9, 1928. LeWitt began his pursuit of an artistic career in his teenage years, when he attended Syracuse University in New York between 1945 and 1949. At Syracuse LeWitt was given the opportunity to “visit oriental shrines, temples and gardens” (Lewison). He furthered his passion for art four years later, when he moved to New York to attend the Cartoonists and Illustrators School. From there LeWitt applied his knowledge in the work force for the first time, earning a position as a graphic designer for architect I. M. Pei (Lewison). During this time with the architect, LeWitt continued working on his personal painting projects, but simultaneously and most importantly, picked up the tools and knowledge that would tremendously influence his later works. LeWitt’s experience with construction during this job caused him to abandon painting, in that that he began working with structures rather than canvases. His new artistic and more object-oriented endeavors led to his most famous works.  These “serial and modular works” consisted mainly of “ wall and floor structures” initially, and as he progressed LeWitt included “wall drawings and drawings on paper as well as prints” (Lewison).

One thing common amongst all of LeWitt’s works was his very methodological approach to creating them: “As a general principle, [LeWitt] used written instructions as the starting point of his art” (Moszynska). This concept is most effectively conveyed in his abstract Wall Drawings, in which “the impersonality of the idea logically entailed the collaboration of assistants for their execution” (Moszynska). Such an innovative concept brought to the forefront of the artistic world by LeWitt actually had its roots in earlier artists Duchamp (see our page above) (Moszynska). LeWitt can be most strongly associated with the conceptual art movement in twentieth century America. His work was so influential that many critics consider him a “lodestar of American art” (Kimmelman). LeWitt truly was the guiding light for other Conceptual and Minimalist artists seeking to challenge the traditional painting of the 1970s (Moszynska). His series of works “stressed idea over execution” so that a masterpiece could be easily replicated. This concept embodied the entire Conceptualist movement. Artists like LeWitt valued “ simplicity, logic, [and] openness” in their works rather than the traditional aesthetic values of art (Garrels). Therefore, LeWitt and his fellow Conceptualists did not focus intensely on the beauty of colors and portraits, but rather the intellectual value of a particular structure. The knowledge and logic that went into producing these works of art was what the Conceptualists wished to share.

On a Blue Ceiling is an artistic rendering by Sol Lewitt that was installed in the Philadelphia Art Museum in 1981. However, in true conceptualist fashion, Lewitt never laid hands upon the ceiling, rather he provided instructions for other workers to paint it (Philadelphia Museum of Art) Being that the Conceptual art movement exemplified universal access and intellectual exchange, LeWitt intended for this work to be best adapted to its environment by the artists who used the instructions to complete it. Lewitt welcomed the fact that many different hands would touch “On a Blue Ceiling” and as one critic put it, he “welcomed the variability”. (John B. Ravenal) He believed the different workers would each have their own unique spin on the work, adding to its beauty.  At the museum, On a Blue Ceiling is located along the ceiling of a barrel vault. The arching shape of the structure with light blue fill and distinct, white geometric figures creates a very chapel-like scenery in the Philadelphia museum (Philadelphia Museum of Art). The themes of minimalism can also be seen in Lewitt’s description that he provided to the museum, which read simply, “ eight geometric figures: circle, trapezoid, parallelogram, rectangle, square, triangle, right triangle, x.” The description sounds very bland and boring and doesn’t even come close to describing the beauty that shines through when the idea is put into fruition; but alas, adds no filler just as minimalism asks for. Consequently, Sol Lewitt’s On a Blue Ceiling shows his inspiration from the concepts of minimalism and conceptualism.
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