Le Dan Flavin

I recently went to see a Dan Flavin exhibition at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich. It's okay, I didn't know who he was either. Dan Flavin is an artist from the 60s who did fancy art with light. Or, as Wikipedia might say:



"Dan Flavin (April 1, 1933 – November 29, 1996) was an American minimalist sculptor who created sculptural objects and installations from commercially available fluorescent light fixtures. These works, which he called "icons", have been credited with helping to start the minimalist movement in 1963."



According to the brochure of the exhibition, when Dan Flavin was five years old, a friend of his father's would take him down to the East River in New York and teach him to draw. They would usually draw nature, but especially focus on the constant movement of the water. Throughout his whole life, Flavin was drawn to water. This reminded me of the end of Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, where they would listen to the sounds of the river:



"Siddhartha seeks out the same content ferryman he met years before. The ferryman, who introduces himself as Vasudeva, radiates an inner peace that Siddhartha wishes to attain. Vasudeva says he himself has attained this sense of peace through many years of studying the river. Siddhartha expresses a desire to likewise learn from the river, and Vasudeva agrees to let Siddhartha live and work beside him. Siddhartha studies the river and begins to take from it a spiritual enlightenment unlike any he has ever known. While sitting by the river, he contemplates the unity of all life, and in the river’s voice he hears the word Om." (Source)



For some strange reason, I thought it would be okay to take photos at the exhibition. I have never been to a museum where you can take photos, so I don't know where this idea came from. Maybe because I saw someone else do it and he didn't get yelled at. And I figured flash doesn't ruin light. Anyhoo, here are some photos I managed to take before getting stopped by security.


Pink light




Rainbow