{"id":11829,"date":"2015-08-17T03:41:45","date_gmt":"2015-08-17T03:41:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rafaelfajardo.com\/portfolio\/reading-sol-lewitts-artist-books-as-comics\/"},"modified":"2015-08-17T03:41:45","modified_gmt":"2015-08-17T03:41:45","slug":"reading-sol-lewitts-artist-books-as-comics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rafaelfajardo.com\/portfolio\/reading-sol-lewitts-artist-books-as-comics\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading Sol LeWitt\u2019s Artist Books as Comics"},"content":{"rendered":"

goodcomicsbykim<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n
\"image\"<\/figure>\n

Serial compositions are multipart pieces with regulated changes. The differences between the parts are the subject of the composition. If some parts remain constant it is to punctuate the changes. The entire work would contain subdivisions which could be autonomous but which comprise the whole. The autonomous parts are units, rows, sets or any logical division that would beread as a complete thought. The series would be read by the viewer in a linearor narrative manner (12345; ABBCCC; 123, 312, 231, 132, 213, 321) even thoughin its final form many of these sets would be operating simultaneously \u2026 \u00a0 <\/p>\n

Serial Project #1<\/a><\/i> (1966)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We can use the above excerpt to examine how comics create meaning. \u201cSerial composition\u201d, or sequential images, is one of the most distinguishable features
\nof comics as well as LeWitt\u2019s works, especially his artist books. \u201cAutonomous
\nparts\u201d could be a panel since these are the principle elements of information
\nin comics. When the reader reads a whole work, sequential panels can form a new
\nmessage, or a \u201cnarrative\u201d as LeWitt said above, which is related to but
\ndifferent than the message derived from an individual panel.<\/p>\n

Most of
\nhis artist books systemically examine the very nature of forms, spaces,
\ngeometry and colors, especially in 2D space (plane). Comics are the best medium
\nto study these things due to their sequential nature and LeWitt\u2019s artist books
\nprove this. As LeWitt said above, changing specific parts of forms, geometry,
\nor colors regularly allows readers to see the effect of the parts.<\/p>\n

\"image\"<\/figure>\n

Four Basic Kinds of Straight Lines <\/i>(1969) and Four Basic Colors and Their Combinations <\/i>(1971) show this principle. LeWitt explained:\u00a0<\/p>\n

These drawings, using parallel lines closely drawn, were used to make a finite series. They also provided the vocabulary for further series. Later four colors were used with the four lines. The directions of the lines (vertical, horizontal, and two 45-degree diagonals) were absolute possibilities. The colors used were the three primary colors (yellow, red, and blue) plus black. The page was white. Superimpositions of line and color provided progressive gradations of tone and color.<\/p>\n

Art-Rite<\/i>, Issue No.14. (1977)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mathematics
\nprove that we can make a plane with only these absolute possibilities. Also
\nthree primary colors plus black (CMYK) make a whole spectrum of colors in the printed
\npages of comics. Systemic study of the plane is not unheard-of in comics. For
\nexample, Alexis Beauclair<\/a>\u2019s LOTO<\/i> series investigate the relationship
\nbetween movement, narrative, object, line and plane.<\/p>\n

Sol
\nLeWitt also analyzed how 2D objects are placed in 2D space as well as how 2D
\nspace is composed of its elements, 2D objects. This problem of geometry was the
\nmain subject of Locations of Three Geometric Figures<\/i> (1974), The
\nLocation of Eight Points <\/i>(1974), and The Location of Lines <\/i>(1974). \u00a0\u201cPage
\ncomposition" or \u201cpage layout\u201d, as it is called in comics, has been a main interest of many
\nartists. Recently, poetic or immersive schools of artists such as Aidan Koch<\/a>,
\nWarren Craghead<\/a> and Juliacks<\/a> have studied this problem of geometry in their
\nworks.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

One of the
\n2D objects LeWitt exhaustively studied was grids. Grids help us to see his
\nartist books as comics on the surface because of the visual similarities
\nbetween the two. This is because a grid inherently follows regulated sequential
\nimages.<\/p>\n

Autobiography<\/i> (1980)
\nis one of the Photogrids<\/i> works by LeWitt. It has photographs of his living
\nand working space and the objects in them. The photographs are arranged by
\ntheir positions within his space and also by categories: bookshelves are on the
\nsame page; kitchen wares are on the same page. This narrative by systemic
\n(taxonomical) study is reminiscent of the work of comic artist Jochen Gerner,
\nespecially his Contre la Bande Dessinee <\/i>[Against Comics].<\/p>\n

\"image\"<\/figure>\n

Artists\u2019
\nbooks are, like any other medium, a means of conveying art ideas from the
\nartist to the viewer\/reader. Unlike most other media they are available to all
\nat a low cost. They do not need a special place to be seen. \u2026 art shows come
\nand go but books stay around for years. They are works themselves, not
\nreproductions of works. Books are the best medium for many artists working
\ntoday. The material seen on the walls of galleries in many cases cannot be
\neasily read\/seen on walls but can be more easily read at home under less
\nintimidating conditions. It is the desire of artists that their ideas be
\nunderstood by as many people as possible. Books make it easier to accomplish
\nthis.

Art-Rite<\/i>, Issue No.14. (1977)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The
\nModernist artists \/ critics argued that the mass produced works lacked the craftsmanship
\nand individual artist\u2019s vision the Art possessed. Hence, comics were degraded as
\n\u201cmass culture\u201d, rather than the Art objects. In contrary, LeWitt
\nembraced the reproducible, especially printed books, just as comics artists
\ndo. This crystallizes him as a comics artist.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

goodcomicsbykim: Serial compositions are multipart pieces with regulated changes. The differences between the parts are the subject of the composition. If some parts remain constant it is to punctuate the changes. The entire work would contain subdivisions which could be autonomous but which comprise the whole. The autonomous parts are units, rows, sets or any […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-words"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6PWot-34N","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rafaelfajardo.com\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rafaelfajardo.com\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rafaelfajardo.com\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rafaelfajardo.com\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rafaelfajardo.com\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rafaelfajardo.com\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11829\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rafaelfajardo.com\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rafaelfajardo.com\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rafaelfajardo.com\/portfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}