Converging Lines Analysis
There is no doubt that Eva Hesse and Sol Lewitt were close friends, and both arguably two of the most significant American artists of the Abstract Expressionist movement during the post-war war era. However, one cannot truly understand the friendship these two artists had just by reading. Throughout the exhibition, Converging Lines: Eva Hesse and Sol LeWitt, the viewer can explore the friendship in depth through each of the many pieces first hand. Eva Hess was born into a German-Jewish family on January 11, 1936 in Hamburg, Germany. Together her family fled to the United States during the rise of Nazi power. It is in New York, where she would start her artistic training, taking influence from her childhood idol, William de Kooning. Hesse
…show more content…
aimed to paint in the way of an Abstract Expressionist, meaning, to pain with intense color and heavy palate knife strokes. In turn, giving up here academically trained figure sketches and self-portraits. In the years following 1961, Hesse had married a fellow male sculpture Tom Doyle and had her first exhibition shown at the John Heller Gallery at both the Brooklyn Museum and Wadsworth Atheneum (Eva Hesse).
It is also in this time period where Hesse and Sol LeWitt’s friendship became evident in her art. Her signature box works show the beginnings of a grid system and the repetition of units inside her pieces. LeWitt’s studio was conveniently located within walking distance of Hesse’s and Doyle’s in Manhattan. In the late 1960’s we see a shift from painting to sculpture, and the addition of minimalist tones, even adapting what critics called a “dual” nature, or even contradictory, seen in her piece Hang Up. Unfortunately, Eva Hesse died in May 1970 of a brain tumor, at what has been argued the height of her career (Eva Hesse). Solomon “Sol” LeWitt was born to Russian-Jewish parents in Hartford, Connecticut on September 9, 1928. He moved shortly after his father’s death to New Britain, Connecticut with his mother. LeWitt attended school at Syracuse University, and in 1951, was drafted into the Korean War, where his duty was to make posters in the Special Services department. It was after he was discharged did he move to New York to continue his art career. Although his main focus was painting, LeWitt became tired and frustrated with what he felt was a lack of direction. It was then that he took influence from other artists such as Jasper Johns and Eadweard Muybridge and from which, began to add movement and relief elements into his works, seen in his Run series since 1961(Sol Lewitt).
Within the next couple of years, his focus went to “open” structures, either made from metal or wood, and repeated based on mathematical equations.
LeWitt became a pioneer in the Conceptual Art movement, and left behind Minimalism. He started his Wall Drawing Series in which he would write out a series of directions and requirements that those looking to show would receive and create themselves. These pieces emphasized the process and rules of execution rather than the final product. LeWitt was known to not feature himself alongside his Wall Drawings because he wanted people to focus on the art, and not him. Sol LeWitt unfortunately passed away in 2007 from complications with cancer, and similarly to Hesse, was also at the height of his career (Sol LeWitt). As said above, the exhibition “Converging Lines: Eva Hesse and Sol LeWitt”, is a celebration of the friendship between the two artists. It can be argued that although they supported each other’s work, they were opposites. Lewitt art focuses more on geometric forms, lines, and grids, with the purpose to push the Conceptual Art movement, where as Hesse always made the artist’s hand evident. She is also known for using unconventional objects, and having erotic and irregular
themes.
One example being the contrast of LeWitt’s airy, light, very grid like, piece 3x3x3 that sits next to Hesse’s Accession V, a dense, dark topless cube. 3x3x3 stands three seamless cubes wide, high, and deep. It is made out of white wood and has a skeleton, bone like feel, while abiding by a strict geometric guide. Accession V on the other hand is a three-sided steel cube with rubber tubes threaded throughout holes drilled along the sides. The rubber tubes are meant to look fleshy, and organic, that are me to interrupting such a mechanical steel object. A mechanical object that artists like LeWitt would strive to create (Converging). Personally, seeing this exhibition made me really see just how close these two artists truly were. At first glance, I honestly did not see the connection, or understand the connection. I saw that similarity between LeWitt’s brightly colored Run Series and Hesse’s No Title, 1963 and No Title, 1964, but that was all. The letter written to Hesse from LeWitt was incredibly touching, and helped with the initial confusion. The second room is where the pieces Accession V and 3x3x3 were located. Before reading about them after the fact, I looked at them and wondered the meaning. From previous knowledge I knew LeWitt worked with a grid, and the Hesse had an almost torturous feel to her work, and subconsciously I made the connection that they were supposed to be compared and contrasted, but in the moment the connection was not made. The Wall Drawings in person looked and felt more intense in person. Seeing pictures and slides do not do these pieces justice. It is also not conveyed the slight humor associated in some, especially seen in Wall Drawing #797 where the message that one artist cannot successfully or accurately copy another. In his directions he wrote that one artist should draw a specific line in a certain color. Then another artist is to try and copy the line using a different color, but cannot touch the one below it. The viewer can see first hand exactly where the new line was altered due the artist struggle of recreation. In the end creating a vibrant wall covered horizontal lines from top to bottom. Hesse’s Metronomic Irregularity II is said to be the inspiration for LeWitt’s Walling Drawing #46. It consists of three gray squares and was manually interlaced with cotton-covered wire by Hesse (Converging). Where as LeWitt’s drawing is made up of black lines, evenly covering the wall, never touching, done in black pencil. It was made just two days after Hesse passed away. In result of Metronomic Irregularity II, Wall Drawing #46 uses no straight lines (Mass). LeWitt has been quoted in saying, “It was really a magnificent piece and a way of liberation for me in my own work. . . . It had a strong and direct and specific effect on me” (Converging). It is hard to understand the relationship between Eva Hesse and Sol LeWitt, or anyone for that matter, just by reading about it. It was not until after visiting the Addison Museum did it become clear to me just how close these two artists were. Not only does their work complement each other, it also contrasts beautifully.
aimed to paint in the way of an Abstract Expressionist, meaning, to pain with intense color and heavy palate knife strokes. In turn, giving up here academically trained figure sketches and self-portraits. In the years following 1961, Hesse had married a fellow male sculpture Tom Doyle and had her first exhibition shown at the John Heller Gallery at both the Brooklyn Museum and Wadsworth Atheneum (Eva Hesse).
It is also in this time period where Hesse and Sol LeWitt’s friendship became evident in her art. Her signature box works show the beginnings of a grid system and the repetition of units inside her pieces. LeWitt’s studio was conveniently located within walking distance of Hesse’s and Doyle’s in Manhattan. In the late 1960’s we see a shift from painting to sculpture, and the addition of minimalist tones, even adapting what critics called a “dual” nature, or even contradictory, seen in her piece Hang Up. Unfortunately, Eva Hesse died in May 1970 of a brain tumor, at what has been argued the height of her career (Eva Hesse). Solomon “Sol” LeWitt was born to Russian-Jewish parents in Hartford, Connecticut on September 9, 1928. He moved shortly after his father’s death to New Britain, Connecticut with his mother. LeWitt attended school at Syracuse University, and in 1951, was drafted into the Korean War, where his duty was to make posters in the Special Services department. It was after he was discharged did he move to New York to continue his art career. Although his main focus was painting, LeWitt became tired and frustrated with what he felt was a lack of direction. It was then that he took influence from other artists such as Jasper Johns and Eadweard Muybridge and from which, began to add movement and relief elements into his works, seen in his Run series since 1961(Sol Lewitt).
Within the next couple of years, his focus went to “open” structures, either made from metal or wood, and repeated based on mathematical equations.
LeWitt became a pioneer in the Conceptual Art movement, and left behind Minimalism. He started his Wall Drawing Series in which he would write out a series of directions and requirements that those looking to show would receive and create themselves. These pieces emphasized the process and rules of execution rather than the final product. LeWitt was known to not feature himself alongside his Wall Drawings because he wanted people to focus on the art, and not him. Sol LeWitt unfortunately passed away in 2007 from complications with cancer, and similarly to Hesse, was also at the height of his career (Sol LeWitt). As said above, the exhibition “Converging Lines: Eva Hesse and Sol LeWitt”, is a celebration of the friendship between the two artists. It can be argued that although they supported each other’s work, they were opposites. Lewitt art focuses more on geometric forms, lines, and grids, with the purpose to push the Conceptual Art movement, where as Hesse always made the artist’s hand evident. She is also known for using unconventional objects, and having erotic and irregular
themes.
One example being the contrast of LeWitt’s airy, light, very grid like, piece 3x3x3 that sits next to Hesse’s Accession V, a dense, dark topless cube. 3x3x3 stands three seamless cubes wide, high, and deep. It is made out of white wood and has a skeleton, bone like feel, while abiding by a strict geometric guide. Accession V on the other hand is a three-sided steel cube with rubber tubes threaded throughout holes drilled along the sides. The rubber tubes are meant to look fleshy, and organic, that are me to interrupting such a mechanical steel object. A mechanical object that artists like LeWitt would strive to create (Converging). Personally, seeing this exhibition made me really see just how close these two artists truly were. At first glance, I honestly did not see the connection, or understand the connection. I saw that similarity between LeWitt’s brightly colored Run Series and Hesse’s No Title, 1963 and No Title, 1964, but that was all. The letter written to Hesse from LeWitt was incredibly touching, and helped with the initial confusion. The second room is where the pieces Accession V and 3x3x3 were located. Before reading about them after the fact, I looked at them and wondered the meaning. From previous knowledge I knew LeWitt worked with a grid, and the Hesse had an almost torturous feel to her work, and subconsciously I made the connection that they were supposed to be compared and contrasted, but in the moment the connection was not made. The Wall Drawings in person looked and felt more intense in person. Seeing pictures and slides do not do these pieces justice. It is also not conveyed the slight humor associated in some, especially seen in Wall Drawing #797 where the message that one artist cannot successfully or accurately copy another. In his directions he wrote that one artist should draw a specific line in a certain color. Then another artist is to try and copy the line using a different color, but cannot touch the one below it. The viewer can see first hand exactly where the new line was altered due the artist struggle of recreation. In the end creating a vibrant wall covered horizontal lines from top to bottom. Hesse’s Metronomic Irregularity II is said to be the inspiration for LeWitt’s Walling Drawing #46. It consists of three gray squares and was manually interlaced with cotton-covered wire by Hesse (Converging). Where as LeWitt’s drawing is made up of black lines, evenly covering the wall, never touching, done in black pencil. It was made just two days after Hesse passed away. In result of Metronomic Irregularity II, Wall Drawing #46 uses no straight lines (Mass). LeWitt has been quoted in saying, “It was really a magnificent piece and a way of liberation for me in my own work. . . . It had a strong and direct and specific effect on me” (Converging). It is hard to understand the relationship between Eva Hesse and Sol LeWitt, or anyone for that matter, just by reading about it. It was not until after visiting the Addison Museum did it become clear to me just how close these two artists were. Not only does their work complement each other, it also contrasts beautifully.