For an artist statement, Bochner explains: “In the summer of 1969, I came across a thought-provoking sentence in Ludwig Wittgenstein’s posthumously published book Zettel (Cuttings): ‘While I am looking at an object I cannot imagine it.’ This statement embodied the problematic relationship between seeing and thinking. It pointed to an unexplored area in the mind where sensory and non-sensory perception collide. As a way of exploring that area I drew two squares on the wall, one completely covered with blue power pigment, the other empty but defined by a rough blue border. In the center of each square the statement ‘imagine the enclosed area blue’ was written. The contradictions were immediately apparent. While it was easy to imagine the empty square ‘blue’ (something it was not), it was impossible to imagine the blue square ‘blue’ (something it was). Asked to perform this operation the mind boggled. Imagination may be an act of will, but seeing is not.” See also the study for this work, gifted by Wynn and Sally Kramarsky to MoMA.
