donald judd - individual light artist project

My focus for this archive is color as it relates to light, and the artist I'm focusing on today is Donald Judd. I stumbled across Donald Judd at the MoMA this summer - on a tangent note, I have a huge crush on the MoMA; all of my postcards in my room (see below) are from there. Anyway, Donald Judd considered materiality to be the central part of his work, and I think that theme works well with both color and light. For example, the color and reflections of this sculpture depend entirely on the color-infused plexiglass that he used to create it:



Judd worked mostly from plexiglass like this, wood, metal, plywood, and concrete.


(He used metal for this one)

Later in his career, he grew more and more dissatisfied with the art world - specifically, the idea of temporary exhibits designed by snobby curators. He created permanent installations that were not meant to represent anything.

In 1986, the Chinati foundation opened a non-profit art center in Marfa, TX, for Judd and his contemporaries, like Dan Flavin and Claes Oldenberg (below). Judd contributed 15 outdoor pieces and 100 aluminum pieces to the permanent collection. Sadly, Judd died in 1994 of lymphoma in Manhattan.

But on a happier note: Color! Material! Light! Minimalism!




And just because these other guys are cool too...


Dan Flavin


Claus Oldenburg