Synopses & Reviews
Compiling four-hundred-plus unique works of art, this volume traces the shifts and developments in conceptual artist John Baldessariandrsquo;s work from 1975-86. It covers his photo-based works such as the andldquo;Strobe,andrdquo; andldquo;Word Chain,andrdquo; and andldquo;Pathetic Fallacyandrdquo; series from 1975; the andldquo;Violent Spaceandrdquo; and the seminal andldquo;Concerning Diachronic/Synchronic Time: Above, On, Under (With Mermaid),andrdquo; from 1976; and the andldquo;Blasted Allegoriesandrdquo; series from 1977-78, which drew heavily from the artistandrsquo;s vast collection of photo stills taken from commercial television.
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In the 1980s, Baldessariandrsquo;s art took a different direction, beginning with the expansive andldquo;Fugitive Essaysandrdquo; triptychs from 1980 and leading to 1982andrsquo;s photographic interpretations of Grimmandrsquo;s Fairy Tales. Building on these themes, Baldessari began producing a body of work that was inspired in part by dreams, psychology, film, and popular culture. Ensuing works were more formal, elaborate, and large-scale. From 1984 to 1986 Baldessari created a number of works that employed his soon-to-be-signature colored discs painted over peopleandrsquo;s faces in the photos.
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An introductory essay will provide a close reading of selected works and a historical context for understanding Baldessariandrsquo;s art from this period. A detailed chronology and exhibition history and bibliography are also included. This is the second of a projected four-volume catalogue raisonnandeacute;.
Review
and#8220;A fascinating artistand#8221;and#8212;Barry Schwabsky, Bookforum
Synopsis
A comprehensive look at works made by Baldessari between the years 1987 and 1993
This handsome volume, the third of the John Baldessari (b. 1931) catalogue raisonne project, compiles 400-plus unique works of art made by the influential conceptual artist from 1987 through 1993. Here we see the artist s large-scale photo-based works, many of which employed his signature colored discs painted over the faces of people in the photos, accompanied by entries that trace the shifts and developments in Baldessari s work as his collaged photo narratives achieved maturity and mastery.
A critical essay by Briony Fer provides a close reading of selected works, giving historical context for Baldessari s art from this period. In addition to a detailed chronology, complete exhibition history, and bibliography, this volume notably features a previously unpublished conversation between Baldessari and the artist Ed Ruscha, which was undertaken specifically for this publication. In the conversation, the artists discuss their early careers in Southern California and the shared thematic concerns in their work.
The artworks in this volume demonstrate Baldessari s ability to express and, in many cases, combine the narrative potential of images and the associative power of language within the boundaries of a single piece."
Synopsis
Throughout her career, Eva Hesse (1936--1970) produced a significant number of small, experimental works alongside her large-scale sculpture. These so-called and#147;test-piecesand#8221; were made in a wide range of materials, including latex, wire-mesh, sculp-metal, wax, and cheesecloth. Rather than considering them simply technical explorations, the art historian Briony Fer renames these small objects studiowork and argues that they put in question conventional notions of what sculpture is.
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The book contains a comprehensive catalogue of the studiowork, including many new works that have never before been seen in public. Although previously these smalland#160;objects were considered peripheral to the major sculptures, this fascinating new study argues that they force us to ask fundamental questions, not just about what an artwork is, but about the work that art does in our culture.
Synopsis
The second in a projected four-volume series of the complete catalogue of works by John Baldessari
Synopsis
This landmark book offers a radical reinterpretation of the innovative art of the late 1950s and 1960s. Examining the work of major artists of the periodand#151;including Mark Rothko, Piero Manzoni, Agnes Martin, Dan Flavin, Eva Hesse, Blinky Palermo, and Louise Bourgeoisand#151;Briony Fer focuses on the overriding tendency toward repetition and seriality that occurred at the moment of modernismand#8217;s decline, gained ground in its aftermath, and continues to shape much of the art seen today.
Although seriality is mainly associated with American artists and with Minimalism, Fer broadens our understanding of it, looking at Minimalist seriality as one crucially important strategy among several. She argues that repetition becomes generative of new modes and habits of making and looking; at stake is how we think about the artwork in relation to both temporality and subjectivity. Paying close attention to specific artworks, this timely critical reassessment offers a fresh perspective on a wide range of familiar and less familiar art.
Synopsis
The highly anticipated first volume of the complete catalogue of works byand#160;John Baldessari
Synopsis
The pioneering conceptual artist John Baldessari (b. 1931) began his career as a painter in the 1950s, but in the subsequent decades he expanded his practice in a new and groundbreaking direction by juxtaposing texts with found photography or appropriated images. These texts questioned the nature of art and the art-viewing experience, suggesting new meanings for the images they accompanied. This interaction of words and images remained a critical aspect of Baldessari's work, even as he branched into other media, such as site-specific installations, drawings, video, sculpture, prints, and multiples.
The first of a projected four-volume set, this lavishly illustrated book features about 500 works and chronicles an important shift in Baldessari's thinking during these formative years. Included are such landmark works as the Cremation Project (1970), where Baldessari incinerated the "body" of work he had made between the years 1953 and 1966. The ashes of the cremated works were then baked into cookies, and the rest sealed in a book-shaped urn, which he then presented along with a plaque announcing the "life" and "death" dates. Baldessari's work and teaching have been greatly influential on a subsequent generation of artists.
The book features an essay by Yve-Alain Bois considering Baldessari's ethos as a generator of his artistic practice. Also included are an interview with Christopher Knight and a detailed chronology of the artist's life and work.
Synopsis
A comprehensive look at works made by Baldessari between the years 1987 and 1993
Synopsis
This volume, the third of the John Baldessari catalogue raisonnandeacute; project, documents unique works from 1987 to 1993 and features multi-paneled photo-based works that demonstrate the artistandrsquo;s maturity and mastery.
Synopsis
This handsome volume, the third of the John Baldessari (b. 1931) catalogue raisonnandeacute; project, compiles 400-plus unique works of art made by the influential conceptual artist from 1987 through 1993. Here we see the artistandrsquo;s large-scale photo-based works, many of which employed his signature colored discs painted over the faces of people in the photos, accompanied by entries that trace the shifts and developments in Baldessariandrsquo;s work as his collaged photo narratives achieved maturity and mastery.
and#160;
A critical essay by Briony Fer provides a close reading of selected works, giving historical context for Baldessariandrsquo;s art from this period. In addition to a detailed chronology, complete exhibition history, and bibliography, this volume notably features a previously unpublished conversation between Baldessari and the artist Ed Ruscha, which was undertaken specifically for this publication. In the conversation, the artists discuss their early careers in Southern California and the shared thematic concerns in their work.
and#160;
The artworks in this volume demonstrate Baldessariandrsquo;s ability to expressandmdash;and, in many cases, combineandmdash;the narrative potential of images and the associative power of language within the boundaries of a single piece.and#160;
About the Author
Robert Dean is editorial director and
Patrick Pardo is research editor of the
John Baldessari Catalogue Raisonnandeacute;.
Briony Fer is an art historian, writer, and professor at University College, London.
Ed Ruscha is an internationally acclaimed artist based in Los Angeles.