Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/603573
138 CULTURED JUDD ART © JUDD FOUNDATION, LICENSED BY VAGA; COURTESY OF WHITECHAPEL GALLERY ARCHIVE "Don did not like to work with his hands. He hated fussing with wood, tools or mechanical aids. His art was about seeing and feeling, not about the making, not about splashing paint on canvas… Straight lines, however, are hard to make in wood; they require different tools and more planning. This is when Don turned to his father, Roy. Don drew what he wanted, Roy, the craftsman, routed the lines in the woodblock and took care of the printing… When Roy became involved there was time to consider and plan. It was less immediate, less manual—more intellectual. Because the ideas were isolated and in Don's head, the process was more deliberate and required translation... This seemingly small act, this use of Roy's hands, was part of a profound change in his work. The parallelograms and early horizontal prints of 1961 paved the way to the later work, even, at times, being a step ahead of the paintings that Don was himself making concurrently. One year later Don made his first freestanding piece, which led to the work in space for which he's become known. Don would continue making prints his entire life but actual space would be his playground." —Excerpted from Flavin Judd's essay, "The Woodcutter Changes Hands." IN HIS HANDS Donald Judd at his exhibition held at the Whitechapel Gallery, 1970. Donald Judd is the subject of two new exhibitions this month—at David Zwirner and at Judd Foundation—each curated by Flavin Judd. Here, the artist's son reflects on the evolution of his father's practice. PORTRAIT BY RICHARD EINZIG