Imagining America : icons of 20th-century American art / John Carlin and Jonathan Fineberg.
By: Carlin, John
.
Contributor(s): Fineberg, Jonathan David.
Material type: 
BookPublisher: New Haven : Yale University Press, 2005Description: xiv, 206 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 25 cm.ISBN: 0300109970 ; 9780300109979.Subject(s): Art, American -- 20th centuryDDC classification: 709.730904 | Item type | Current library | Call number | Copy number | Status | Barcode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General lending | MTU Crawford College of Art and Design Library Lending | 709.730904 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 00193689 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
An innovative and dynamic look at 20-century American art, focusing on its relationship to the nation's evolving identity and ambitions.
How did artists of the twentieth century use their work to respond to their unique personal experiences and moment in history? This provocative question is explored in this engaging new book on American art. By focusing on broad, defining themes, embodied in the work of such pivotal artists as Georgia O'Keeffe, Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol, the authors look at how art provided a means for re-imagining America, visualizing what it had become, and where it might go in a century of turbulent change.
Richly illustrated with 400 color images, Imagining America is organized around three main themes: nature and the ways diverse artists responded to the transformation of the landscape from pastoral to industrial; how artists as different as Thomas Eakins and Jackson Pollock demonstrated the perpetual inclination to reinvent both personal and national identity; and the ways that key artists like Stuart Davis, Andy Warhol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat taught us to understand the media and popular culture on a deeper level. The authors also provide a context of social history and parallel developments in American music and film.
With an innovative design, a fabulous selection of iconic images, and an engaging juxtaposition of visual themes, Imagining America presents American art and artists in a completely new light.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 196-198) and index.
America pastoral -- Finding nature --Two tales of the city -- City lights --The new nature -- Spiritual america -- The industrial wilderness -- Songs of myself -- The end of realism -- Slipping glimpses -- A map of the mind -- The space between art and life -- Slipping selves -- Media is the message -- The looking glass -- In memory of our feelings -- City of signs -- Andy Warhol is a readymade artist --The spiritual wilderness -- I\'ll be your mirror.
Table of contents provided by Syndetics
- 1 America Pastoral (p. 1)
- Finding nature (p. 4)
- Two tales of the city (p. 12)
- City lights (p. 20)
- The new nature (p. 30)
- Spiritual america (p. 42)
- The industrial wilderness (p. 58)
- 2 Songs of Myself (p. 73)
- The end of realism (p. 76)
- Slipping glimpses (p. 84)
- A map of the mind (p. 92)
- The space between art and life (p. 110)
- Slipping selves (p. 124)
- 3 Media is the Message (p. 141)
- The looking glass (p. 144)
- In memory of our feelings (p. 150)
- City of signs (p. 160)
- Andy warhol is a readymade artist (p. 166)
- The spiritual wilderness (p. 178)
- I'll be your mirror (p. 186)
- Notes (p. 196)
- List of Illustrations (p. 199)
- Index (p. 203)
- Acknowledgments (p. 206)
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Publishers Weekly Review
Published as a companion to a PBS film, this book takes readers from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Cindy Sherman in under 200 image-filled pages. Focusing on the biggest names in 20th-century art?O?Keefe, Davis, Pollock, Rauschenberg, Warhol, Basquiat?the authors, writer-curator Carlin and art historian Fineberg, present a spirited case for artists as society?s ?independent conscience,? probing and reflecting changes that have shaped American life. The ideas of writers like Emerson, Pynchon and McLuhan and key developments in American music such as jazz and hip-hop are interwoven with stories of the creative quests of individual artists, which are gripping without being over-romanticized. This emphasis on the interplay between the artist and society won?t appeal to everyone, and the dearth of strong critical judgments may disappoint readers more interested in grasping and appreciating aesthetic merit. The authors acknowledge that a work this brief leaves a lot out, but it?s worth noticing that the biggest artists who are missing?Hopper, Cornell, Rothko?fit a little less easily into their paradigm. Awkward layouts that try to translate a television-like flow of images onto the page hint that this is a text overshadowed by its filmed companion. Carlin and Fineberg have put together a cogent and swift affirmation of the connection between the public and the seemingly detached and aloof world of modern art?but readers may be happy enough just watching the TV movie. (Nov.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.Author notes provided by Syndetics
John Carlin is an independent writer and curator. He is also chief executive officer of Funny Garbage, a premier media developer in New York City. Jonathan Fineberg is Gutgsell Professor of Art History at the University of Illinois, Champaign, and author of the critically acclaimed textbook Art Since 1940: Strategies of Being.