44+ Sol LeWitt Quotes On Art, Conceptual Thinking And Conceptual Art

Sol LeWitt was an American artist known for his pioneering work in conceptual art and minimalism. He is best known for his wall drawings and structures but also produced numerous works on paper, including drawings, prints, and photographs. He is credited with helping to introduce the idea of art as an idea rather than a physical object. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Sol LeWitt on art, conceptual thinking, conceptual art.

Top 10 Sol LeWitt Quotes

1. Obviously a drawing of a person is not a real person, but a drawing of a line is a real line.
2. New materials are one of the great afflictions of contemporary art. Some artists confuse new materials with new ideas.
3. Don’t worry about cool, make your own uncool.
4. You belong in the most secret part of you. Don’t worry about cool, make your own uncool. Make your own, your own world. If you fear, make it work for you—draw and paint your fear and anxiety.
5. Artists teach critics what to think. Critics repeat what the artists teach them.
6. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.
7. The idea part is simple but the visual perception is complex.
8. In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work
9. Buying books was a way anyone could acquire a work of art for very little.
10. Just as the development of earth art and installation art stemmed from the idea of taking art out of the galleries, the basis of my involvement with public art is a continuation of wall drawings.

Sol LeWitt Short Quotes

• Irrational judgements lead to new experience.
• The artist is seen like a producer of commodities, like a factory that turns out refrigerators.
• The thinking of John Cage derived from Duchamp and Dada. I was not interested in that.
• During the '70s I was interested in words and meaning as a way of making art.
• Artists are mystics rather than rationalists. They leap to conclusions that logic cannot reach.
• One should be intelligent enough to know when not to be too intellectual

Sol LeWitt Quotes About Art

The system is the work of art; the visual work of art is the proof of the System. The visual aspect can't be understood without understanding the system. It isn't what it looks like but what it is that is of basic importance. — Sol LeWitt

Also, since art is a vehicle for the transmission of ideas through form, the reproduction of the form only reinforces the concept. It is the idea that is being reproduced. Anyone who understands the work of art owns it. We all own the Mona Lisa. — Sol LeWitt

I was not interested in irony; I wanted to emphasize the primacy of the idea in making art — Sol LeWitt

Conceptual art is only good if the idea is good. — Sol LeWitt

Ideas alone can be works of art; they are in a chain of development that may eventually find some form. All ideas need not be made physical. — Sol LeWitt

I didn't want to save art - I respected the older artists too much to think art needed saving. But I knew it was finished, even though, at that time, I didn't know what I would do. — Sol LeWitt

What the work of art looks like isn't too important. — Sol LeWitt

Formal art is essentially rational. — Sol LeWitt

When words such as painting and sculpture are used, they connote a whole tradition and imply a consequent acceptance of this tradition, thus placing limitations on the artist who would be reluctant to make art that goes beyond the limitations. — Sol LeWitt

When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art. — Sol LeWitt

Sol LeWitt Quotes About Ideas

Most ideas that are successful are ludicrously simple — Sol LeWitt

Most ideas that are successful are ludicrously simple. Successful ideas generally have the appearance of simplicity because they seem inevitable. In terms of idea the artist is free to even surprise himself. Ideas are discovered by intuition. — Sol LeWitt

I wasn't really that interested in objects. I was interested in ideas. — Sol LeWitt

Banal ideas cannot be rescued by beautiful execution. — Sol LeWitt

What the work of art looks like isn't too important. It has to look like something if it has a physical form. No matter what form it may finally have it must begin with an idea. It is the process of conception and realization with which the artist is concerned. — Sol LeWitt

Sol LeWitt Famous Quotes And Sayings

All intervening steps, scribbles, sketches, drawings, failed work models, studies thoughts, conversations, are of interest. Those that show the thought process of the artist are sometimes more interesting than the final product — Sol LeWitt

In my case, I used the elements of these simple forms - square, cube, line and color - to produce logical systems. Most of these systems were finite; that is, they were complete using all possible variations. This kept them simple. — Sol LeWitt

I believe that the artist's involvement in the capitalist structure is disadvantageous to the artist and forces him to produce objects in order to live. — Sol LeWitt

[The artist's aim is] not to instruct the viewer, but to give him information... . The artist would follow his predetermined premise to its conclusion, avoiding subjectivity. Chance, taste, or unconsciously remembered forms would play no part in the outcome. The serial artist does not attempt to produce a beautiful or mysterious object but functions merely as a clerk cataloguing the results of his premise. — Sol LeWitt

One usually understands the art of the past by applying the conventions of the present thus misunderstanding the art of the past. — Sol LeWitt

Once it is out of his hand the artist has no control over the way a viewer will perceive the work. Different people will understand the same thing in a different way. — Sol LeWitt

When artists make art, they shouldn't question whether it is permissible to do one thing or another. — Sol LeWitt

Your work isn't a high stakes, nail-biting professional challenge. It's a form of play. Lighten up and have fun with it. — Sol LeWitt

A work of art may be understood as a conductor from the artist's mind to the viewer's. But it may never reach the viewer, or it may never leave the artist's mind. — Sol LeWitt

An architect doesn't go off with a shovel and dig his foundation and lay every brick. He's still an artist. — Sol LeWitt

The most interesting characteristic of the cube is that it is relatively uninteresting. Compared to any other three-dimensional form, the cube lacks any aggressive force, implies no motion, and is least emotive. Therefore, it is the best form to use as a basic unit for any more elaborate function, the grammatical device from which the work may proceed. — Sol LeWitt

Every generation renews itself in its own way; there's always a reaction against whatever is standard. — Sol LeWitt

The artist’s aim is not to instruct the viewer, but to give information, whether the viewer understands the information is incidental to the artist. — Sol LeWitt

Life Lessons by Sol LeWitt

1. Sol LeWitt's work emphasizes the importance of simplicity and minimalism in art, showing that sometimes less is more.
2. His use of repetition and variation in his works demonstrates the power of pattern and structure in creating art.
3. His focus on concept over craftsmanship serves as a reminder that art is more than just the physical object, but rather the ideas and emotions behind it.