Second Sails [10] from Second Sails

About this artwork

Dan Flavin's *Second Sails [10*, created in 1978, is one of eight hardgroundings from the portfolio *Second Sails*. Renowned for his pioneering minimalist sculptures using fluorescent light tubes, Flavin ventured into printmaking during the late 1970s, translating his interest in light, space, and geometry into intimate two-dimensional works. This piece, housed in the National Gallery of Art as a generous gift from Kathan Brown, exemplifies his precise, industrial aesthetic adapted to paper. Printed on fine wove Arches paper the etching employs a traditional hardground technique, where a protective ground is applied to a metal plate, scratched to expose areas for acid biting, creating crisp lines and subtle tonal variations. The modest image size of 10.2 x 15.2 cm (4 x 6 in.) on a larger 28.6 x 38.1 cm (11¼ x 15 in.) sheet invites close contemplation, much like viewing his glowing installations. As part of a classified portfolio in the museum's CG-W department, *Second Sails [10]* highlights Flavin's exploration of seriality and repetition—core to minimalism—offering visitors a rare printed glimpse into an artist who blurred boundaries between sculpture, light, and drawing. A testament to late-20th-century innovation, it rewards patient observation with its quiet elegance.