--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sol LeWitt had a huge influence on my…" description: "\"Sol LeWitt had a huge influence on my work because of his use of repetition and his clarity, setting up a system and letting that system go. That's kin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e59/glenn-ligon-10867_artist_sol-lewitt-had-a-huge-influence-on-my-wo_1805458.png" --- # Sol LeWitt had a huge influence on my work because of his… ![“Sol LeWitt had a huge influence on my work because of his use of repetition and his clarity, setting up a system and letting that system go. That's kind of where the text paintings came from.” quote by Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e59/glenn-ligon-10867_artist_sol-lewitt-had-a-huge-influence-on-my-wo_1805458.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e59/glenn-ligon-10867_artist_sol-lewitt-had-a-huge-influence-on-my-wo_1805458.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e59/glenn-ligon-10867_artist_sol-lewitt-had-a-huge-influence-on-my-wo_1805458.png) > “Sol LeWitt had a huge influence on my work because of his use of repetition and his clarity, setting up a system and letting that system go. That's kind of where the text paintings came from.” [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Repetition and clear systems enable artistic freedom, allowing the work to evolve beyond its initial constraints. **In simple terms:** Systems free creativity. Key Takeaway Use structured systems to explore ideas. Themes artistic process repetition clarity systems Mood inspirational analytical Type artistic conceptual When to use this quote - painting - performance - installation - education Key Concepts minimalism conceptual art Questions to Reflect On - How can structure inspire rather than restrict? - What role does repetition play in meaning? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on systems may limit spontaneity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarity/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Paintings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [The white paintings came first; my silent piece came later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/the-white-paintings-came-first-my-silent-piece-came-later/) [John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/) > [Willem de Kooning paintings are a language to be learned. When they were first shown, they were ridiculed as being just drips and splatters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/willem-de-kooning-paintings-are-a-language-to-be-learned-when-they/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [I definitely am concerned with preservation. For me, what's interesting is the archival state, or how long oil paintings last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucien-smith/i-definitely-am-concerned-with-preservation-for-me-what-s-interesting/) [Lucien Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucien-smith/) > ['Playboy' made the good life a reality for me and made it the subject matter of my paintings - not affluence and luxury as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/playboy-made-the-good-life-a-reality-for-me-and-made-it-the-subject/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [I like all paintings. I always look at the paintings, good or bad, in barbershops, furniture stores, provincial hotels. I'm like a drinker who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/i-like-all-paintings-i-always-look-at-the-paintings-good-or-bad-in/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [I have no ideas about what the paintings imply about the world. I don't think that's a painter's business. He just paints paintings without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-have-no-ideas-about-what-the-paintings-imply-about-the-world-i-don/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [Some say they see poetry in my paintings; I see only science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-seurat/some-say-they-see-poetry-in-my-paintings-i-see-only-science/) [Georges Seurat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-seurat/) > [If people would just look at the paintings, I don't think they would have any trouble enjoying them. It's like looking at a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/if-people-would-just-look-at-the-paintings-i-don-t-think-they-would/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [I'm sure I've been influenced by every fine writer I've ever read, from Dickens and Austen to Auden and Jane Hirshfield. And also, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-m-sure-i-ve-been-influenced-by-every-fine-writer-i-ve-ever-read/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [The air we see in the paintings of the old masters is never the air we breathe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/the-air-we-see-in-the-paintings-of-the-old-masters-is-never-the-air/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [It is easy to have a lot of paintings or projects hanging around that are 'almost done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/it-is-easy-to-have-a-lot-of-paintings-or-projects-hanging-around-that/) [Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/) > [In a way, my paintings are like my children. They have many possibilities in life. You tell them, 'I believe that you're good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-bisky/in-a-way-my-paintings-are-like-my-children-they-have-many/) [Norbert Bisky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-bisky/) > [I want the paintings to take me or the viewer out somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-schnabel/i-want-the-paintings-to-take-me-or-the-viewer-out-somewhere-else/) [Julian Schnabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-schnabel/) > [I saw Frank Frazetta's art, and it seared on my memory. I love his paintings. They're so amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-momoa/i-saw-frank-frazetta-s-art-and-it-seared-on-my-memory-i-love-his/) [Jason Momoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-momoa/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) ## More by Glenn Ligon > [Throughout African-American literature, the writer has, in a sense, been burdened by the necessity of pleading the case for the whole race. For example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/throughout-african-american-literature-the-writer-has-in-a-sense-been/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [Race is not something inherent to one's being: One does feel more or less colored, depending on the situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/race-is-not-something-inherent-to-one-s-being-one-does-feel-more-or/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [I think there's an interest right now in the performance aspect of artworks, instead of just hanging things on walls. We're in a moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/i-think-there-s-an-interest-right-now-in-the-performance-aspect-of/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [A key text for me is James Baldwin's essays. And, in particular, his essay Stranger in the Village. It's a text that I've used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/a-key-text-for-me-is-james-baldwin-s-essays-and-in-particular-his/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [It's a great idea: to feel the rhythm of something by seeing how it flows on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/it-s-a-great-idea-to-feel-the-rhythm-of-something-by-seeing-how-it/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [So much of my work has been about disappearing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/so-much-of-my-work-has-been-about-disappearing/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [I'm interested in when language fails, when it is opaque.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/i-m-interested-in-when-language-fails-when-it-is-opaque/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [In writing, something is always left out: it can't be articulated in the space of an essay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/in-writing-something-is-always-left-out-it-can-t-be-articulated-in/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [Willem de Kooning paintings are a language to be learned. When they were first shown, they were ridiculed as being just drips and splatters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/willem-de-kooning-paintings-are-a-language-to-be-learned-when-they/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [Much of my work is engaged with 'America' - the idea of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/much-of-my-work-is-engaged-with-america-the-idea-of-america/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [My mother really didn't come from artists. Her famous quote to me was, "The only artists I've ever heard of are dead." The pottery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/my-mother-really-didn-t-come-from-artists-her-famous-quote-to-me-was/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [I like having a studio to go to. It's like having a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/i-like-having-a-studio-to-go-to-it-s-like-having-a-job/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [I switched up so that I could work 12-hour shifts at the firm on the weekends so I could have days free to paint.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/i-switched-up-so-that-i-could-work-12-hour-shifts-at-the-firm-on-the/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [I graduated from Wesleyan University with a b.a. in art. I was really headed toward an architecture degree, but when I did the requirements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/i-graduated-from-wesleyan-university-with-a-b-a-in-art-i-was-really/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [One of the interesting things about quoting in an artwork is that there is a repeated confusion about who is speaking - one essentially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/one-of-the-interesting-things-about-quoting-in-an-artwork-is-that/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) [Explore all 63 Glenn Ligon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sol LeWitt had a huge influence on my work because of his use of repetition and his clarity, setting up a system and letting that system go. 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