Light and Sensory Experience: A Study of Visual Phenomena in the Work of Dan Flavin

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant professor, Visual Communication Department, Faculty of Arts, Shahed University, Iran.

Abstract

The contemporary world, shaped by significant transformations and developments in art, reflects new ideas that emerged in the 1960s, particularly as a reaction to Modernism’s formalism. These changes, influenced by intellectual, philosophical, and political shifts following World War I and World War II, led to a reassessment of artistic concepts and ideas. In the postwar period, artistic developments shifted from Europe, particularly France, to the United States, where they gained momentum with Abstract Expressionism. This movement eventually gave birth to such movements as Pop Art and Minimalism, both playing a central role in the transition from Modernism to Contemporary Art. Minimalism emerged as an intellectual and philosophical movement rooted in phenomenology, emphasizing the relationship between space, volume, and human experience. In contrast to Abstract Expressionism, which focused on emotions and personal expression, Minimalism sought such components and maybe norms as simplicity, repetition, and industrial materials. A key principle was the direct experience of the artwork by the audience, shifting the focus from the artist to the viewer. Unlike Modernism’s focus on artistic intention, Minimalism prioritized the viewer’s sensory physical engagement. Minimalist art emphasized direct physical relationships with the artwork, particularly in how space and time are perceived by the audience. This marked a departure from Modernism’s abstract ideals and emphasized the very sensory engagement. Minimalist works were not merely objects to be viewed but experiences to be physically engaged with. The viewer’s bodily interaction became an integral part of the artistic process. The role of perception in Minimalism—especially in how light, space, and form are perceived and understood—was crucial. During the modern era, there was an intellectual transition from external knowledge to internal understanding, influencing scientific studies on sensory perception. The body became central to understanding perception. Before the 19th century, visual perception was considered a fixed process, but with modernity, it became a subject of investigation. Scientific advancements introduced tools for analyzing perception, making optical instruments widely accessible and transforming how observers engaged with visual phenomena. Minimalism has often been described as a phenomenological exploration devoid of spiritual meaning. Robert Morris saw it as a way of establishing relationships between the viewer and the artwork. He emphasized the perception of objects from different positions, focusing on the viewer’s interaction. Rosalind Krauss, referencing Maurice Merleau-Ponty, argued that Minimalism shifted art’s focus from idealistic meaning to bodily and sensory experience. However, there is a notable gap in the analysis of Minimalism, particularly in its relationship with entoptic phenomena—visual experiences originating within the visual system, such as afterimages or floaters, which hold spiritual and creative significance in various cultures. Despite the prevalence of entoptic phenomena in Op Art and psychedelic visual culture, few studies have linked them to Minimalism. This study explores the relationship between Dan Flavin’s minimalist works and entoptic images, analyzing how they relate to idealistic concepts, impact perception, and engage the viewer. Flavin’s Untitled (1970), displayed in Donald Judd’s bedroom and later at the Dia Art Foundation, serves as a key case study for this investigation.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

• برزنجی، سید نوید، بختیاریان، مریم و شیبانی رضوانی، فیروزه. (1402). چیستیِ ادراک در نسبت با رازآمیزیِ آثار هنری مدرن بر اساس اندیشه مرلوپونتی. جلوه هنر، 15(2)، 7-20. https://doi.org/10.22051/JJH.2023.42047.1875 •
جانستون، آیدرین. (۱۳۹۴). دانشنامه فلسفه استنفورد: ژاک لاکان. (هیمن برین، مترجم). نشر ققنوس.
• حریریان، نرگس. (1390). نقش محوری مینیمالیسم در پایان دوران مدرن و بکارگیری نور در آثار دن فلاون. نشریه هنرهای زیبا: هنرهای تجسمی، 2(41)، 83-94. https://doi.org/ 20.1001.1.22286039.1390.2.41.9.5
• ساکی‌زاده، مریم. (۱۴۰۱). مطالعه‌ای بر جایگاه مخاطب در آثار هنرمندان پیشگام مینیمالیست در دهه ۱۹۶۰ میلادی. مطالعات هنر و زیباشناسی، ۲ (۴)، ۳۷-۲۶. https://artstudiesmag.ir/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/4-03.pdf
• کرری، جاناتان. (۱۳۹۹). بینایی و مدرنیته. (مهدی حبیب‌زاده، مترجم). انتشارات بان.
• گوان، مایکل. (۱۳۸۳). دن فلاون. (باربد گلشیری، مترجم). نشر دیگر.
• لوسی‌اسمیت، ادوارد. (1380). مفاهیم و رویکردها در آخرین جنبش‌های هنری قرن بیستم (علیرضا سمیع‌آذر، مترجم). تهران: نشر نظر.
• هانتر، سام، و جاکوبوس، جان. (۱۳۸۰). مینیمالیسم و هنر مفهومی. (اورازانی، مترجم). فصلنامه معماری ایران، ۲(۶)، ۱۳۶.
Barzanji, S. N., Bakhtiarian, M., & Sheibani Rezvani, F. (2023). The nature of perception in relation to the mystery of modern artworks based on Merleau-Ponty’s thought. [Chisti-ye edrak dar nesbat ba razamizii-ye asar-haye honari-ye modern bar asas andishe-ye Merleau-Ponty]. Jelve-ye Honar, 15(2), 7–20. (in Persian). https://doi.org/10.22051/JJH.2023.42047.1875
Bishop, C. (2005). Installation art: A critical history. Tate Publishing.
Brody, J. J., Scott, C. J., & LeBlanc, S. A. (1983). Mimbres pottery: Ancient art of the American Southwest (T. Berlant, Intro.). New York, NY: Hudson Hills Press.
Chesher, A. (2018). Phenomenology after conceptual art. In The Yearbook of Phenomenological Research (Vol. 121), Eco-phenomenology: Life, human life, post-human life in the harmony of the cosmos. Springer Verlag.
Crary, J. (2020). Techniques of the observer: Vision and modernity (M. Habibzadeh, Trans.). [Binaee va modernite]. Bān Publishing. (in Persian).
Engberg, M. (2010). Aesthetics of visual noise in digital literary arts. Cybertext Yearbook. Foster, H. (2005). Six paragraphs on Dan Flavin. Artforum, 43(6), 160–161.
Govan, M. (2004). Dan Flavin (B. Golshiri, Trans.). Nashr-e Digar. (in Persian).
Govan, M. (2004). Irony and light. In M. Govan & T. Bell (Eds.), Dan Flavin: A retrospective. Dia Art Foundation; National Gallery of Art in association with Yale University Press.
Grusser, O. J., & Hagner, M. (1990). On the history of deformation phosphenes and the idea of internal light generated in the eye for the purpose of vision. Documenta Ophthalmologica, 74(1), 57–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00165665 Haririan, N. (2011). The central role of minimalism in the end of the modern era and the use of light in Dan Flavin’s works. [Naghshe mahvari-ye minimalism dar payan-e dowran-e modern va bekargiri-ye noor dar asar-e Dan Flavin]. Honar-haye Ziba: Honar-haye Tajassomi, 2(41), 83–94. (in Persian). https://doi.org/20.1001.1.22286039.1390.2.41.9.5
Hodge, D. (2016). Robert Morris’s minimal sculpture, the rise of the gallery network and the aesthetics of commodified art. Oxford Art Journal, 39(3), 421–439. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxartj/kcw026
Hunter, S., & Jacobus, J. (2001). Minimalism and conceptual art. (Orazani, Trans.). [Minimalism va honar-e mafhumi]. Quarterly of Iranian Architecture, 2(6), 136. (in Persian).
Hunter, S., Jacobus, J., & Wheeler, D. (2004). Modern art: Painting, sculpture, architecture, photography. Pearson Prentice Hall.
Huxley, A. (1954). The doors of perception. Published by Chatto & Windus.
Huxley, A. (1955). The doors of perception & heaven and hell. HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
Isler, K. (2023). Monumentality of the artist chapel: Dissecting light, color, spirituality, and permanence [Master’s thesis, Sotheby’s Institute of Art]. https://digitalcommons.sia.edu/stu_theses/136
Johnston, A. (2015). Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy: Jacques Lacan (H. Barin, Trans.). [Daneshname-ye falsafe-ye Stanford: Jacques Lacan]. Qoqnoos Publishing. (in Persian).
Katzberg, L. M. (2009). Cultures of light: Contemporary trends in museum exhibition [Master’s thesis, Universiteit van Amsterdam]. Amsterdam. https://digitalcommons.sia.edu/stu_theses/
Kemp, M. (2006). Science in culture: Seeing the light. Nature, 440(7080), 152. https://doi.org/10.1038/35065511
Krauss, R. (1973). Sense and sensibility: Reflections on post-60s sculpture. Artforum, 42–53.
Lacan, J. (2006). Écrits: The first complete edition in English (B. Fink, Trans.). W. W. Norton & Company. (Original work published 1966).
Lee, H. C. (2005). Introduction to color imaging science. Cambridge University Press.
Lewis-Williams, J. D., & Dowson, T. A. (1988). The signs of all times: Entoptic phenomena in Upper Palaeolithic art (and comments and reply). Current Anthropology, 29(2), 201–245. https://doi.org/10.1086/203629
Lucie-Smith, E. (2001). Concepts and approaches in the latest art movements of the twentieth century (A. Sami-Azar, Trans.). [Mafahim va roykardha dar akharin jonbesh-haye honari-ye ghern-e bistom]. Nazar Publishing. (in Persian). Merabet, L. B., Theoret, H., & Pascual-Leone, A. (2003). Transcranial magnetic stimulation as an investigative tool in the study of visual function. Optometry and Vision Science, 80(5), 356–368. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006324-200305000-00010
Merleau-Ponty, M. (2005). Phenomenology of perception (C. Smith, Trans.). Taylor & Francis e-Library. (Original work published 1945).
Meyer, J. (2001). Minimalism: Art and polemics in the sixties. Yale University Press.
Oster, G. (1970). Phosphenes. Scientific American, 222(4), 82–87. https://doi.org/ 10.1038/scientificamerican0270-82 Sakizadeh, M. (2022). A study on the position of the audience in the works of pioneering minimalist artists in the 1960s. [Motale’ei bar jaygah-e mokhatab dar asar-haye honarmandan-e pishgam-e minimalist dar dahe-ye 1960 Miladi]. Art and Aesthetics Studies, 2(4), 26–37. (in Persian). https://artstudiesmag.ir/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/4-03.pdf Smith, R. J. (2007). Remain in light. Los Angeles Magazine, 52(7), 84–87. https://doi.org/10.2307/41409970
Wees, W. C. (1992). Light moving in time: Studies in the visual aesthetics of avant-garde film. University of California Press. 
Wikipedia contributors. (2025). Entoptic phenomena illustration. Wikipedia. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entoptic_phenomena_(archaeology)
• Svjetlost Clinic. (n.d.). Entoptic (entopic) phenomenon, or how the eye sees only itself. Svjetlost Clinic. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://svjetlost.hr/blog-7138/entoptic-entopic-phenomenon-or-how-the-eye-sees-only-itself/7170
• Salari, V., Scholkmann, F., Vimal, R. L. P., Császár, N., Aslani, M., & Bókkon, I. (2017). Phosphenes, retinal discrete dark noise, negative afterimages and retinogeniculate projections: A new explanatory framework based on endogenous ocular luminescence. Medical Hypotheses, 60, 101–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.preteyeres.2017.07.001
• Hayer, T. (Photographer). (2019, December 6). Exhibit: Dan Flavin. The Rakish Gent. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://www.therakishgent.co.uk/pages/exhibit-dan-flavin
Journal of Fine Arts: Visual Arts
Volume 30, Issue 3
September 2025
Pages 101-112

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics