The Writing on the Walls: Sol Lewitt at Dia:Beacon

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Set up between the Dan Flavin light field and the Richard Serra steel court, the latest temporary exhibition “Drawing Series…” (through Sept. 10, 2007) is devoted to 1970s drawings by conceptual artist Sol Lewitt. Drawn directly on the walls using graphite, colored pencil, crayon and chalk, the works, based on Lewitt’s complex principles, eliminate the boundaries of the canvas for more sprawling constructions.

For this show, two teams of assistants invaded the space for three months, following the artist’s exact instructions to realize the drawings. Each wall carries a unique series of lines and marks in a delicate city of networking designs.

Wall Drawing #97 (they now number 1,200 in total) carries the following rules for his assistants: “Ten thousand straight and ten thousand not straight lines”—thus offering up two intricate drawings founded on thoughtful concepts and laborious making.

Wall Drawing #118 calls for “Fifty randomly placed points all connected by straight lines.” The layering in this piece creates a happenstance gathering of lines, forming beautiful variations in thickness.

These days, Lewitt wall drawings have become common sights in museum collections, and some may have tired of the paint-by-numbers routine that the artist has made a career of. But the combination of the soft, thoughtful drawings with the cathedral-esque natural light of Dia:Beacon reinvigorates a viewer's response to the work. Especially when soaking up Wall Drawing #1085: Drawing Series—Composite, Part I–IV, #1–24, A+B, which is the only piece from the show also in Dia’s permanent collection.

In this drawing, Lewitt takes all the versions and patterns of a line (horizontal, vertical and diagonal) and creates two rooms of grids, tackling every possible combination. The first room handles the singular lines and the second addresses the conjunctions of the singulars.

Next door, Wall Drawing #1211 takes the same concept but introduces color. The singulars turn into walls of dreamy primaries, while the second room carries rich autumnal elements. As the day progresses, the works morph and play on the daylight changes. And the ultimate test of geometry turns into a luminous sanctuary.