Wall Drawing #1240, Planes with broken bands of color (Akron)

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Presiding over the McDowell Grand Lobby is a “wall drawing” by Sol LeWitt, one of the leading artists of our time. LeWitt’s approach to art stresses rigorous design and geometric abstraction, rejecting narrative, emotion and representation for the reality of art’s elemental components—line, shape, space, color and the most important, concept. LeWitt began the wall drawings in 1968 in response to his concern—and that of other artists at the time—that art was becoming too much of a commodity. The drawings are not so much physical objects as ideas. The artist conceived and planned them; his “drafters” (themselves artists) draw them directly on the walls of museums and public spaces around the world. Drawings may share forms and motifs, but each is unique and many, like Akron’s, are site-specific. 'Wall Drawing #1240' was created especially by the artist for the 18 x 34 foot wall where the museum’s 1899 Building and the new Knight Building interconnect. The triangular shapes refer to the angled supports and folded forms of the glass and steel lobby, while the blocks of color echo the brick wall removed from the south façade of the 1899 Building. Two drafters, assisted by six area artists, worked for five weeks to fabricate the wall drawing.

Keywords

American
Abstract art
Geometric shapes
Color
Wall decoration
Installation Art
Wall
Primary colors
Patterned