Younger Children

Sol LeWitt

American, 1928–2007

Wall Drawing #520, Circle with Towers

1987/2013, 2005/2012

Subject: Variation
Activity: Create a variety of images using the same shapes
Materials: Colored paper, pencil, and scissors
Vocabulary: Variation, repetition, depict, cube

Introduction:

Often artists will create many versions of the same idea. This is called variation. Using different shapes, lines, and colors, Sol LeWitt created hundreds of wall drawings similar to the one you see here. He also used repetition by depicting the same shapes, such as the cube, over and over again.

Questions:

What shapes do you see?

How many are there?

How are the shapes similar?

How are they different?

Observations:

Look at how the artist has used the same shape (a cube) in a variety of ways, both in Wall Drawing #520 and Circle with Towers.

Activity:

Using colored paper, draw and cut out different shapes. Arrange the shapes in a variety of ways to create new images. See how many different arrangements you can make using the same shapes.

Vocabulary:

Variation —Doing something over again, but changing it slightly.
Repetition —Doing the same thing over and over again.
Depict —To represent with a picture.
Cube —A block with square sides.

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