In 1957 Flavin began to experiment with drawing and fashioning hybrid collages and assemblages, mostly made with found materials. Four years later, he created the first of eight icons: boxy, monochrome-painted constructions outfitted with incandescent bulbs and short fluorescent tubes, wall-hung objects, which are neither painting nor sculpture and which represent his first use of light. He worked on icons consistently for three years, constructing the objects by using hand tools and then painting them.
Dispensing altogether with the traditional materials of painting and sculpture, Dan Flavin adopted common commercially available fluorescent light as the primary medium for his art. He preferred “standardised, utilitarian fluorescent light to custom-designed, showy neon”. As Michael Govan notes, Flavin confined himself to a limited palette (red, blue, green, pink, yellow, ultraviolet, and four different whites) and form (straight two-, four-, six-, and eight-foot tubes) (see 2004 (II): 19). In most cases, Flavin named his works as “untitled” but often added a dedication. Furthermore, he used lower case for inscription except for proper names and places. Many of his woks have the same or similar titles.
Further, with the diagonal of May 25, 1963 Dan Flavin established a “system”, as he himself called it, which is “a structured whole, and whose parts are replaceable” (Flavin 1965: 24). To understand his “system” and oeuvre as a whole, a special attention should be paid to the following questions:
•Why did Flavin choose light as a medium for his works?
•How did he understand and define the phenomenon of light?
•Which influences were significant for Dan Flavin’s art and why?
•Why did he choose exactly an icon and later the diagonal as a form of representation for his first light works?
•Which ideas, meanings and principles are veiled in his works?
•What was new in Flavin’s rediscovery of light?
To answer these questions and to consider the significance of his artistic work in the art historical context, Dan Flavin’s oeuvre and the development of his artistic style will be analysed through his key works with fluorescent light from different periods of time.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- General View on the Problem Area of Colour and Light
- Flavin's Rediscovery of Light
- From Colour to Light: The first icons
- Icon I (the heart) (to the light of Sean McGovern which blesses everyone)
- Icon IV (the pure land) (to David John Flavin [1933-1962])
- From Picture to Space: The diagonal of May 25, 1963
- The Dedications to Brancusi and Rosenblum: "gold" and "white" Versions
- The Diagonal as a Symbol of Light
- Reduction as a Challenge ("Ockham's razor")
- The Importance of Flavin's Art today
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper analyzes the artistic oeuvre of Dan Flavin, examining his use of fluorescent light as a medium and exploring the development of his artistic style over time. The analysis focuses on key works from different periods to understand the significance of his rediscovery of light within the art historical context.
- The choice of light as a medium for Flavin's art
- Flavin's understanding and definition of light
- The influence of other artists and thinkers on Flavin's work
- The significance of the icon and the diagonal as forms of representation in Flavin's light works
- The ideas, meanings, and principles embedded within Flavin's works
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first chapter provides an introduction to Dan Flavin and his artistic practice. It highlights his innovative approach to art, drawing parallels with Abstract Expressionism and the search for new materials and mediums in the second half of the 20th century.
The second chapter offers a comprehensive overview of the problem area of color and light, exploring its significance in art, physics, literature, and theology. It traces the historical development of color theory, from Goethe's work in the 19th century to the increasing autonomy of color in painting during the 20th century.
The third chapter focuses on Flavin's early works, the "icons," which represent his first use of light as a medium. It discusses the genesis of these sculptures and explores the technical aspects of their creation. The chapter also examines Flavin's use of color, form, and dedication in these works.
The fourth chapter delves into the "diagonal" works, analyzing the system Flavin developed using fluorescent light. It examines the dedications to Brancusi and Rosenblum, as well as the diagonal's symbolic function as a representation of light. The chapter concludes by discussing the concept of reduction as a challenge in Flavin's work.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper focuses on the key concepts of light, color, and space, as they are fundamental to understanding Dan Flavin's artistic system. It explores the significance of his "rediscovery of light" within the broader context of 20th-century art, highlighting his innovative use of fluorescent light as a medium, his unique approach to form and color, and the influence of his artistic practice on contemporary art.
- Quote paper
- Natalia Spektor (Author), 2012, Dan Flavin: Rediscovery of Light, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/197641
