Two of my great heroes in art passed away this week. Sol LeWitt, the great Conceptual artist, was critical in my understanding of line. Years ago I saw a retrospective of his work in New York, and I was astounded. Before that day, I’d never heard of Conceptualists or of Sol LeWitt, but after that day, my perception of art was radically changed.
This morning I was deeply saddened to hear of Kurt Vonnegut’s death. In the late 1990’s my ex and I listened to one of his books on tape on a road trip, and after that we bought everything by him that our local used bookstore had and ripped through it. His wit, his understanding of humanity, his desire for a better world, his poignancy all moved me. I’ve wanted to hear him lecture since that time, and now I regret that I never have. He was a true visionary, and an artist with a voice that could not be denied.
I’ll see you in Heaven, boys. To paraphrase Beatrice, St. Peter will show me where the artists sit, and there live we, as merry as the day is long.
So it goes.
what a lovely post. thanks.
I adored Kurt Vonnegut, also.
Did you see this quote?
“Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies — ‘God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.’ ”
Love that so much.