Robert Morris and Angst
Books / Hardcover
Books › Art › Individual Artists › General
ISBN: 0807614947 / Publisher: George Braziller, April 2001
An independent art historian of contemporary art, Tsouti-Schillinger explores Morris's oeuvre by tracing the continuous theme of angst she believes is its key meaning. Morris's biography as an artist is outlined within the text, which deals mainly with ideas rather than personality, focusing on Morris's diverse installations, including his 1982 Untitled (Gori Labyrinth) and the 1997 installation Tar Babies of the New World Order . Well illustrated in color, the text draws on the artist's influences and employs extensive quotes from the artist's own writings on his work. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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Both as an artist and as a theorist, Robert Morris (b. 1931) has challenged prevailing ideas about art and culture. He is best known as the father of Minimal Art. His contributions to virtually every postwar movement since Abstract Expressionism are significant. However, he has remained independent of any particular affiliation. Morris has produced art ranging from choreographed dances, performances, audio and video recordings (depicting the processes of his artmaking itself), to sculptures, installations, paintings, prints, and site-specific outdoor projects in Europe and America, while regularly adding to a body of influential critical writings. His enduring interest in the process of artmaking, materiality, and perception has channeled his investigations into a multiplicity of media types and art forms, which is indeed remarkable. Robert Morris and Angst examines the thematic and artistic consistency found throughout Morris's art despite its visual diversity. Within the context of a representative number of his works, Nena Tsouti-Schillinger, breaking new ground, investigates Morris's "angst" and the underlying related idea of "dualism." Throughout Morris's twists and turns, his works share a common core; he keeps transforming his lifelong subjectphysical and mental conflictwith a remarkable physical immediacy. Whether revered or reviled, idolized or misunderstood, Morris has transformed the face of modern art and the philosophy behind it. 47 color illustrations, 53 black-and-white illustrations, index, bibliography.
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