Greens crossing greens (to Piet Mondrian who lacked green) 1966

Curator: Here we have Dan Flavin's "Greens crossing greens (to Piet Mondrian who lacked green)," conceived in 1966. It’s an intriguing construction utilizing fluorescent light. The piece is now part of the collection at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Editor: The luminous green glow initially strikes me as vaguely clinical, almost sterile, yet with an unexpected serenity. The structure itself is severely geometrical; what I appreciate is its calculated composition and material presence within space. Curator: Flavin's work deliberately moves beyond conventional artistic media; he saw commercially available fluorescent tubes as a way to engage with the modern world. His dedication references Mondrian and hints at a symbolic 'correcting' of Mondrian’s famous aversion to the color green. Editor: That’s where it gains its fascinating symbolic weight. I agree—while stripped of conventional symbolism, it becomes rich with art-historical reference and spatial dynamics. I see here both homage and subtle commentary. Its structural properties emphasize the industrial, mass-produced elements and challenge any idea of uniqueness of artwork in the classic art historical sense. Curator: Exactly. It encourages a new interpretation of space and color, a kind of 'electric folklore' in a way. Color here doesn’t just depict; it transforms and becomes an agent. It evokes powerful, and perhaps subconscious connections with natural or synthetic spaces. Editor: The composition does direct our vision—the rhythm created by the vertical tubes, interspersed along the horizontals—establishes both harmony and discord within the viewing space. What is truly striking here is the artist’s command over the immateriality of the medium of light. The light produces a spatial environment within which color acts both as plane and surface. Curator: It’s that very interplay which holds our attention; light's innate capacity to transform the mundane into the magical is harnessed by Flavin and rendered manifest in an almost sacramental encounter. Editor: Indeed, one almost loses sight of its utilitarian origin when caught within its luminescence. A pure meditation on light and space, it remains ever compelling to examine. Curator: This investigation offers us not merely sight but a luminous, green memory. Editor: Yes, the formal aspects reveal a captivating intersection of idea and space.