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Vanessa Place

Sentences on Conceptual Writing by Sol Lewitt

or

"Monsieur de la Palice is one of my customers" by Marcel Broothaers

1. Conceptual writers are mystics and rationalists. They leap to conclusions that logic can reach.

2. Rational judgments repeat rational judgments.

3. Illogical judgments lead to experience.

4. Formal writing is essentially formal.

5. Irrational thoughts should be followed absolutely and logically.

6. If the writer changes his mind midway through the execution of the piece he composes the results and results result.

7. The writer's will is fecundatory to the process he initiates from idea to completion. His willfulness may only be cogito.

8. When words such as poetry and prose are used, they connote a whole tradition and imply the consequent existence of this tradition, thus placing fabrication on the writer who would be writing writing that is in and outside this tradition.

9. The concept and idea are different. The former implies a general direction while the latter is the components. Ideas implement the concept.

10. Ideas alone can be writing; they are in a chain of development that may eventually find some ideas. All ideas need not be writing.

11. Ideas do not necessarily proceed in logical order. They may set one off in unexpected directions but an idea must necessarily be in the mind before the next one is formed.

12. For each work of writing that becomes writing there are many writings that are not writing.

13. A work of writing may be understood as a conductor from the writer's mind to the readers. But it may never reach the reader, or it may never leave the writer's mind.

14. The words of one writer to another may induce an idea chain, if they share the same concept.

15. Since no form is intrinsically superior to another, the writer may use any form, from an expression of words (written), to physical reality, equally.

16. If words are used, and they proceed from ideas about writing, then they are writing and literature; numbers are mathematics.

17. All ideas are writing if they are concerned with writing and fall within the conventions of writing.

18. One usually understands the writing of the past by applying the conventions of the present thus understanding the art of the present.

19. The conventions of writing are altered by writing.

20. Successful writing changes our understanding of writing by our writing.

21. Perception of ideas leads to ideas.

22. The writer can imagine his writing, and can perceive it when it is complete.

23. One writer may misperceive (understand it differently than the writer) a work of writing but still be set off in his own chain of thought by that misconstrual.

24. Perception is subjective.

25. The writer may not necessarily understand his own writing. His perception is better and worse than that of others.

26. A writer may perceive the writing of others and his own.

27. The concept of a work of writing may involve the matter of the writing or the process in which it is writing.

28. Once the idea of the piece is established in the writer's mind and the final form is decided, the process is carried out. There are many sides that the writer can imagine. These may be used.

29. The process is mechanical and should not be tempted. It should be a course.

30. There are many elements involved in a work of writing. The most important are the most significant.

31. If a writer uses the same form in a group of writing, and changes the material, one would assume the writer's concept involved the material.

32. Banal ideas cannot be rescued by beautiful execution.

33. It is difficult to bunghole a good idea.

34. When a writer learns his craft too well he makes crafty writing.

35. These sentences comment on writing, but are writing.