Synopses & Reviews
Recognized for his remarkable synthesis of Expressionist and Cubist techniques, Lyonel Feininger (1871-1956) has long been considered a leading modern artist in Germany. In his native United States, he is less well known. This comprehensive survey, which examines the artist's broad-ranging interests and influences including his involvement in German Expressionism and the Bauhaus, will reintroduce his art to American audiences.
Generously illustrated, this publication features works from throughout Feininger's diverse career, including his turn-of-the-century satirical illustrations and comics, his carnivalesque Expressionist compositions and crystalline architectural scenes, his whimsical village of hand-carved wooden figures, and his late oils of New York City. The main essay discusses the full breadth of Feininger's career, tracing his relationship with groups and institutions that defined the development of modern art, including Cubism, the Blaue Reiter, the Blue Four, the Bauhaus, and Black Mountain College. Additional essays focus on facets of Feininger's work including his comics, his photographs, his musical compositions and their relationship to his visual art, and his reputation in Germany.
Synopsis
The work of painter Oscar Bluemner (1867-1938), though revered among connoisseurs of early American modernism, is relatively unfamiliar to the general public. An important member of the circle of artists that formed around Alfred Stieglitz's 291 Gallery, Bluemner is best known for his boldly simplified geometric compositions and provocative use of color, and his paintings have been compared to those of Marsden Hartley, Charles Demuth, and Georgia O'Keeffe. Published to accompany a major exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, this book will be nothing short of a "discovery" to most art lovers.
The catalogue, by Whitney curator Barbara Haskell, analyzes the evolution of Bluemner's work and places it within the context of the artist's life and the aesthetic currents of European and American modernism. The superb color plates show how, with its intense coloration and simple, recognizable shapes, Bluemner's work is immediately accessible even to those who have had little exposure to modern art.
About the Author
Barbara Haskell is curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. John Carlin is an independent writer and curator, as well as the president and CEO of Funny Garbage. Bryan Gilliam is Frances Hill Fox Professor in Humanities at Duke University. Ulrich Luckhardt is curator at the Hamburger Kunsthalle, Germany. Sasha Nicholas is senior curatorial assistant at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.