Synopses & Reviews
Soon after the book's publication in 1982, artist David Hockney read Lawrence Weschler's Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees: A Life of Contemporary Artist Robert Irwin and invited Weschler to his studio to discuss it, initiating a series of engrossing dialogues, gathered here for the first time. Weschler chronicles Hockney's protean production and speculations, including his scenic designs for opera, his homemade xerographic prints, his exploration of physics in relation to Chinese landscape painting, his investigations into optical devices, his taking up of watercolorand#151;and then his spectacular return to oil painting, around 2005, with a series of landscapes of the East Yorkshire countryside of his youth. These conversations provide an astonishing record of what has been Hockney's grand endeavor, nothing less than an exploration of "the structure of seeing" itself.
Review
and#8220;Aside from being a terrific writer, Weschler is clearly a great listener and interviewer.and#8221;
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and#8220;Weschler rewards his readers with lengthy quotes, an overwhelming wealth of knowledge and a lively narrative style.and#8221; (Starred Review)
Review
"'Seeing Is Forgetting' and 'True to Life' are not only about the artists talking to Weschler or, through him, to each other; they're about the artists talking to themselves."--Los Angeles Times Book Review
Review
“Aside from being a terrific writer, Weschler is clearly a great listener and interviewer.” Robert L. Pincus
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“‘Seeing Is Forgetting and ‘True to Life are not only about the artists talking to Weschler or, through him, to each other; they're about the artists talking to themselves.” Publishers Weekly
Review
and#8220;and#8216;Seeing Is Forgettingand#8217; and and#8216;True to Lifeand#8217; are not only about the artists talking to Weschler or, through him, to each other; they're about the artists talking to themselves.and#8221;
Synopsis
Soon after the book's publication in 1982, artist David Hockney read Lawrence Weschler's Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees: A Life of Contemporary Artist Robert Irwin and invited Weschler to his studio to discuss it, initiating a series of engrossing dialogues, gathered here for the first time. Weschler chronicles Hockney's protean production and speculations, including his scenic designs for opera, his homemade xerographic prints, his exploration of physics in relation to Chinese landscape painting, his investigations into optical devices, his taking up of watercolor--and then his spectacular return to oil painting, around 2005, with a series of landscapes of the East Yorkshire countryside of his youth. These conversations provide an astonishing record of what has been Hockney's grand endeavor, nothing less than an exploration of "the structure of seeing" itself.
Synopsis
"Lawrence Weschler is one of the most deliriously entertaining writers alive. He does what the best artists and writers should do: he makes you see the world anew."and#151;Dave Eggers, editor of
McSweeney's and author of
What Is the What "Weschler guides and entertains the reader at every turn."and#151;John Walsh, Director Emeritus, J. Paul Getty Museum
About the Author
Lawrence Weschler, a staff writer for twenty years at the New Yorker, is the Director of the New York Institute of the Humanities at New York University and Artistic Director of the Chicago Humanities Festival.