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Vertical Sequence, Op. 137

Thomas WilfredWW-1941-M068770

1941·Projected light on translucent glass screen (duration of form cycle: 7 minutes; duration of color cycle: 7 minutes, 17 seconds; the two cycles coincide every 50 hours, 59 minutes)·screen 15 1/4 x 15 3/8" (38.7 x 39 cm)

Catalogue

Year: 1941
Medium: Projected light on translucent glass screen (duration of form cycle: 7 minutes; duration of color cycle: 7 minutes, 17 seconds; the two cycles coincide every 50 hours, 59 minutes)
Dimensions: screen 15 1/4 x 15 3/8" (38.7 x 39 cm)
Collection: Museum of Modern Art
Artist: Thomas Wilfred

Artist

Thomas Wilfred

Painting

Thomas Wilfred was an American artist who invented the Clavilux, an early light-based instrument designed to produce abstract visual compositions in real time. Working from the 1920s onward, he created performative light installations that treated color and luminosity as a malleable medium akin to music. His work anticipated kinetic art and video installation by several decades, establishing light itself as a sculptural and temporal material. Wilfred conceived of his performances as an immersive visual language independent of narrative or representation.

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