{"product_id":"theories-and-documents-of-contemporary-art-a-sourcebook-of-artists-writings-volume-35-california-studies-in-the-history-of-art","title":"Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art: A Sourcebook of Artists' Writings (Volume 35) (California Studies in the History of Art)","description":"\u003cp\u003eAmbitious and interdisciplinary  this long-awaited collaboration is a landmark presentation of the writings of contemporary artists. These influential essays  interviews  and critical and theoretical comments provide bold and fertile insights into the construction of visual knowledge. Featuring a wide range of leading and emerging artists since 1945  the collectionwhile comprehensive and authoritativeoffers the reader some eclectic surprises as well.  Included here are texts that have become pivotal documents in contemporary art  along with writings that cover unfamiliar ground. Some are newly translated  others have never before been published. Together they address visual literacy  cultural studies  and the theoretical debates regarding modernism and postmodernism. The full panoply of visual media is represented  from painting and sculpture to environments  installations  performance  conceptual art  video  photography  and virtual reality. Thematic concerns range from figuration and process to popular culture  art and technology  and politics and the media. Contemporary issues of gender  race  class  and sexuality are also addressed.  Kristine Stiless general introduction is a succinct overview of artists theories in the evolution of contemporary discourse around art. Introductions to each chapter provide synopses of the cultural contexts in which the texts originated and brief biographies of individual artists. The text is augmented by outstanding photographs  many of artists in their studios  and vivid  contemporary art images.  Reflecting the editors shared belief that artists own theories provide unparalleled access to visual knowledge  this book  like its distinguished predecessors  Hershel Chipps Theories of Modern Art (with Peter Selz and Joshua Taylor) and Joshua Taylors Nineteenth-Century Theories of Art  will be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in contemporary art.  \"In New York in 1915 I bought at a hardware store a snow shovel on which I wrote in advance of the broken arm. It was around that time that the word readymade came to mind to designate this form of manifestation.\"Marcel Duchamp (1961)  \"Women have always collected things and saved and recycled them because leftovers yielded nourishment in new forms. The decorative functional objects women made often spoke in a secret language  bore a covert imagery. When we read these images in needlework  in paintings  in quilts  rugs and scrapbooks  we sometimes find a cry for help  sometimes an allusion to a secret political alignment  sometimes a moving symbol about the relationships between men and women.\"Miriam Schapiro and Melissa Meyer (1978)  \"I want to create a fusion of art and life  Asia and America  Duchampiana modernism and Levi-Straussian savagism  cool form and hot video  dealing with all of those complex problems  spanning the tribal memory of the Nomadic Asians who crossed over the Bering Strait over 10 000 years ago.\"Shigeko Kubota (1976)  \"Black for me is a lot more peaceful and gentle than white. White marble may be very beautiful  but you cant read anything on it. I wanted something that would be soft on the eyes  and turn into a mirror if you polished it. The point is to see yourself reflected in the names. Also the mirror image doubles and triples the space.\"Maya Lin (1983)  \"Artists often depend on the manipulation of symbols to present ideas and associations not always apparent in such symbols. If all such ideas and associations were evident there would be little need for artists to give expression to them. In short  there would be no need to make art.\"Andres Serrano (1989)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44946441928757,"sku":"ByrdShop_0520202538","price":29.08,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780520202535.jpg?v=1769949169","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/theories-and-documents-of-contemporary-art-a-sourcebook-of-artists-writings-volume-35-california-studies-in-the-history-of-art","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}