Sol Lewitt : 49 Three-Part Variations on Three Different Kinds of Cubes, 1967-71
i still have the #3 issue of "VH 101", about Conceptual Art. found it in a thrift sale around 1992, in my old college. the publication itself is from 1970, autumn.
in page 5 there is a picture of "47 3-Part Variations of 3 Different Kinds of Cubes", by Sol Lewitt. Even though i must then have known, it is only about 20 years later that i would really realise what the work of Sol Lewitt was, in Leuven, SMAK museum.
intruigued by the title and the picture, i then started to think what those 3 variations really were. One was obviously a cube with all sides closed, another one with 3 opposite ones open, and a third one must be with 1 side open.
a quick calculation gave me a maximum of 7 x 7 x 7 possibilities
From which we of course must take away the rotation of the column leading to a similar disposition.
And a bif further i thought also the vertical rotations...
I then made a C program to find out all the single possibilities, and found out there were :
OOO
O O
O O is a cube with all sides closed
O O
OOO
...
O O
O O is a cube with one side open
O O
OOO
What are all the possibilities ?
1: 0 0 0
OOO OOO OOO
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO OOO OOO
2: 0 0 1
OOO OOO ...
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO OOO OOO
3: 0 0 5
OOO OOO OOO
O O O O . .
O O O O . .
O O O O . .
OOO OOO OOO
4: 0 1 0
OOO ... OOO
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO OOO OOO
5: 0 1 1
OOO ... ...
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO OOO OOO
6: 0 1 2
OOO ... OOO
O O O O O .
O O O O O .
O O O O O .
OOO OOO OOO
7: 0 1 3
OOO ... OOO
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO OOO ...
8: 0 1 4
OOO ... OOO
O O O O . O
O O O O . O
O O O O . O
OOO OOO OOO
9: 0 1 5
OOO ... OOO
O O O O . .
O O O O . .
O O O O . .
OOO OOO OOO
10: 0 1 6
OOO ... ...
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO OOO ...
11: 0 5 0
OOO OOO OOO
O O . . O O
O O . . O O
O O . . O O
OOO OOO OOO
12: 0 5 1
OOO OOO ...
O O . . O O
O O . . O O
O O . . O O
OOO OOO OOO
13: 0 5 2
OOO OOO OOO
O O . . O .
O O . . O .
O O . . O .
OOO OOO OOO
14: 0 5 5
OOO OOO OOO
O O . . . .
O O . . . .
O O . . . .
OOO OOO OOO
15: 0 5 6
OOO OOO ...
O O . . O O
O O . . O O
O O . . O O
OOO OOO ...
16: 1 0 1
... OOO ...
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO OOO OOO
17: 1 0 2
... OOO OOO
O O O O O .
O O O O O .
O O O O O .
OOO OOO OOO
18: 1 0 3
... OOO OOO
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO OOO ...
19: 1 0 4
... OOO OOO
O O O O . O
O O O O . O
O O O O . O
OOO OOO OOO
20: 1 0 5
... OOO OOO
O O O O . .
O O O O . .
O O O O . .
OOO OOO OOO
21: 1 0 6
... OOO ...
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO OOO ...
22: 1 1 1
... ... ...
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO OOO OOO
23: 1 1 2
... ... OOO
O O O O O .
O O O O O .
O O O O O .
OOO OOO OOO
24: 1 1 3
... ... OOO
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO OOO ...
25: 1 1 4
... ... OOO
O O O O . O
O O O O . O
O O O O . O
OOO OOO OOO
26: 1 1 5
... ... OOO
O O O O . .
O O O O . .
O O O O . .
OOO OOO OOO
27: 1 1 6
... ... ...
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO OOO ...
28: 1 2 1
... OOO ...
O O O . O O
O O O . O O
O O O . O O
OOO OOO OOO
29: 1 2 3
... OOO OOO
O O O . O O
O O O . O O
O O O . O O
OOO OOO ...
30: 1 2 4
... OOO OOO
O O O . . O
O O O . . O
O O O . . O
OOO OOO OOO
31: 1 2 5
... OOO OOO
O O O . . .
O O O . . .
O O O . . .
OOO OOO OOO
32: 1 2 6
... OOO ...
O O O . O O
O O O . O O
O O O . O O
OOO OOO ...
33: 1 3 1
... OOO ...
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO ... OOO
34: 1 3 2
... OOO OOO
O O O O O .
O O O O O .
O O O O O .
OOO ... OOO
35: 1 3 5
... OOO OOO
O O O O . .
O O O O . .
O O O O . .
OOO ... OOO
36: 1 3 6
... OOO ...
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO ... ...
37: 1 4 3
... OOO OOO
O O . O O O
O O . O O O
O O . O O O
OOO OOO ...
38: 1 4 5
... OOO OOO
O O . O . .
O O . O . .
O O . O . .
OOO OOO OOO
39: 1 4 6
... OOO ...
O O . O O O
O O . O O O
O O . O O O
OOO OOO ...
40: 1 5 1
... OOO ...
O O . . O O
O O . . O O
O O . . O O
OOO OOO OOO
41: 1 5 2
... OOO OOO
O O . . O .
O O . . O .
O O . . O .
OOO OOO OOO
42: 1 5 3
... OOO OOO
O O . . O O
O O . . O O
O O . . O O
OOO OOO ...
43: 1 5 4
... OOO OOO
O O . . . O
O O . . . O
O O . . . O
OOO OOO OOO
44: 1 5 5
... OOO OOO
O O . . . .
O O . . . .
O O . . . .
OOO OOO OOO
45: 1 5 6
... OOO ...
O O . . O O
O O . . O O
O O . . O O
OOO OOO ...
46: 1 6 1
... ... ...
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO ... OOO
47: 1 6 3
... ... OOO
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO ... ...
48: 1 6 5
... ... OOO
O O O O . .
O O O O . .
O O O O . .
OOO ... OOO
49: 1 6 6
... ... ...
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
O O O O O O
OOO ... ...
50: 5 0 5
OOO OOO OOO
. . O O . .
. . O O . .
. . O O . .
OOO OOO OOO
51: 5 0 6
OOO OOO ...
. . O O O O
. . O O O O
. . O O O O
OOO OOO ...
52: 5 1 5
OOO ... OOO
. . O O . .
. . O O . .
. . O O . .
OOO OOO OOO
53: 5 1 6
OOO ... ...
. . O O O O
. . O O O O
. . O O O O
OOO OOO ...
54: 5 2 5
OOO OOO OOO
. . O . . .
. . O . . .
. . O . . .
OOO OOO OOO
55: 5 5 5
OOO OOO OOO
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
OOO OOO OOO
56: 5 5 6
OOO OOO ...
. . . . O O
. . . . O O
. . . . O O
OOO OOO ...
57: 5 6 5
OOO ... OOO
. . O O . .
. . O O . .
. . O O . .
OOO ... OOO
There are actually 57 and not 47 possibilities !!!
i tried to find out more info on the work, to realize that a latter version of the work was entitled 49 Variations
What Sol Lewitt was really sculpting was in fact our grey matter :)
Now i wondered which ones are the ones left over by Sol Lewitt ? Where is this work now on display ?
Here is the program i made to find out those solutions :
my friend gregory said 49 solutions was because 7 x 7 ; so an esthetic solution over the complete conceptual solution ?
NOW :
to make a booklet complete with all the different views from those Variations
find out which ones are the one not made into the final 49 group
make them up in cardboard and white chalk paint
BRING THIS TO MUSIC :
the MUSEUM compilation on Electric Camembert