My light artist is Dan Flavin. He was born in April 1933 and died November 1996. Although classified as a Minimalist, he saw himself as a “Maximalist” because he would make the most of materials typically considered harsh. Throughout his career Dan’s main medium was fluorescent light bulbs. This temporary material also separated him from typical minimalist artists who used materials like stone or metal. Unlike those materials, the light bulbs would eventually burn out. One of his main inspirations was Marcel Dunchamp’s “Readymades”, which were found manufactured objects that had been manipulated slightly in some way.
On his artwork Dan Flavin once said, “It is what it is and it ain’t nothing else.” It is lighting responding to different architectural settings.
His works:
The Diagonal of May 25, 1963 (to Constantin Brancusi)
icon V (Coran’s Broadway Flesh)
greens crossing greens (to Piet Mondrian who lacked green)
All images taken from www.nga.gov/