Sol LeWitt Colors with Lines in Four Directions (Blue) 1990 Silkscreen

Artist: Sol LeWitt
Title: Colors with Lines in Four Directions (Blue)
Medium: Silkscreen on Paper
Artwork Size: 48" x 48"
Frame Size: 52.75" x 52.75"
Year: 1990
Edition: 67/100
Printer:  Goro Fujii and Hidemi Nomura, Watanabe Studio Ltd, Brooklyn, New York
Publisher: Parasol Press, New York, New York.
Signature: Pencil signed and numbered by artist on front lower right
Documentation: Includes a Gallery Certificate of Authenticity from Modern Artifact

Created in 1990, "Colors with Lines in Four Directions" (Blue) reflects Sol LeWitt's sustained investigation into geometry, seriality, and systematic visual structure. Executed as a silkscreen print, the work demonstrates LeWitt's longstanding engagement with rule based compositions situated between Conceptual Art and Minimalism, transforming a restrained visual language into a nuanced meditation on perception and order.

The composition is dominated by a rich blue field contained within a sequence of sharply defined concentric borders in black, white, and muted neutral tones. Within the central square, densely organized linear patterns create subtle optical variation, reflecting LeWitt's interest in directional movement and the accumulation of repeated marks. Though minimal at first glance, the work rewards prolonged observation through its calibrated surface texture and spatial relationships.

This use of repetition and modular structure reflects principles central to LeWitt's practice since the 1960s. Rather than expressive gesture or narrative content, the composition is governed by predetermined systems and formal logic, aligning with his assertion that the idea itself functions as the primary generator of the artwork.

Produced as part of an edition of 100, the silkscreen was printed by Goro Fujii and Hidemi Nomura at Watanabe Studio Ltd., Brooklyn, and published by Parasol Press, New York, a publisher closely associated with leading figures in late twentieth century printmaking. The work demonstrates LeWitt's mastery of print media, where precision and repetition allowed his geometric systems to be rendered with exceptional clarity.

"Colors with Lines in Four Directions" (Blue) balances conceptual rigor with visual harmony, its restrained palette and architectural symmetry positioning it within LeWitt's broader exploration of how structured systems generate contemplative, visually dynamic experiences.

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About Sol LeWitt

Sol LeWitt (1928–2007) was an American artist widely regarded as a central figure in the development of both Conceptual Art and Minimalism during the second half of the twentieth century. Known for his rigorous systems, geometric abstraction, and idea-based approach to artmaking, LeWitt fundamentally reshaped contemporary art. His work spans drawing, printmaking, sculpture, photography, and large scale wall installations, and remains among the most influential bodies of work in postwar American art.

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, LeWitt studied at Syracuse University before serving in the United States Army during the Korean War. After relocating to New York City in the 1950s, he worked various design and administrative jobs, including at the Museum of Modern Art, while becoming immersed in the city's emerging avant garde art scene.

LeWitt first gained widespread recognition in the 1960s through his modular sculptures and “structures,” many of which were composed of open cubes and serial geometric forms constructed from industrial materials , Rather than emphasizing expressive gesture or illusionism, these works explored mathematical order, repetition, proportion, and spatial logic. His systematic use of the cube became one of the defining visual languages of Minimalist art.

In 1967, LeWitt published the influential essay Paragraphs on Conceptual Art, in which he articulated the principle that the underlying idea or concept of an artwork could be more important than its physical realization. This text became foundational to the Conceptual Art movement. Throughout his career, LeWitt maintained a disciplined visual vocabulary grounded in seriality, symmetry, and rule based systems.

LeWitt's work has been exhibited extensively in major museums and institutions worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Guggenheim Museum, and Dia Art Foundation. In 2008, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art opened a long term retrospective installation dedicated to LeWitt's wall drawings, underscoring the enduring importance of his contribution to contemporary art history.