Landscape Painting Now: From Pop Abstraction to New Romanticism - Hardcover

Schwabsky, Barry

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1942884265 ISBN 13: 9781942884262

Publisher: D.A.P., 2019

Synopsis

From fantastical worlds to political topologies: a global survey of landscape painting in the 21st century

Although the fact may be surprising to some, landscape painting is positively thriving in the 21st century―indeed, the genre has arguably never felt as vital as it does today. The reasons why, if speculative, surely include our imminent environmental collapse and increasingly digitally mediated existence. Landscape Painting Now is the first book of its kind to take a global view of its subject, featuring more than eighty outstanding contemporary artists―both established and emerging―whose ages span seven decades and who hail from twenty-five different countries.

Through its thematic organization into six chapters―Realism and Beyond, Post-Pop Landscapes, New Romanticism, Constructed Realities, Abstracted Topographies, and Complicated Vistas―the book affords a generous window into the very best of contemporary landscape painting, from Cecily Brown’s sensual, fleshy landscapes to Peter Doig’s magic realist renderings of Trinidad, Maureen Gallace’s serene views of beach cottages and the foaming ocean, David Hockney’s radiant capturings of seasonal change in the English countryside, Julie Mehretu’s dynamically cartographic abstractions, Alexis Rockman’s mural-sized, postapocalyptic dioramas, and far beyond.

Landscape Painting Now features an extensive essay by Barry Schwabsky, art critic for The Nation. Schwabsky’s text weaves throughout the book, tracing the history of landscape painting from its origins in Eastern and Western art, through its transformation in the 20th century, to its present flourishing. Shorter texts by art historians Robert R. Shane, Louise Sørensen, and Susan A. Van Scoy introduce each artist, situating the importance of landscape within their practice and addressing key works. With over 400 color reproductions, including many details, this ambitious survey makes a compelling case for the continued relevance of landscape painting in our time.

Featured artists are Etel Adnan, Francis Alÿs, Hurvin Anderson, Mamma Andersson, Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, Lucas Arruda, Ayman Baalbaki, Jules de Balincourt, Ali Banisadr, Hernan Bas, John Beerman, Amy Bennett, Cecily Brown, Gillian Carnegie, Noa Charuvi, Nigel Cooke, Will Cotton, Cynthia Daignault, Verne Dawson, Vincent Desiderio, Lois Dodd, Peter Doig, Rackstraw Downes, Tim Eitel, Andreas Eriksson, Inka Essenhigh, Richard Estes, Genieve Figgis, Jane Freilicher, Barnaby Furnas, Maureen Gallace, Tim Gardner, Franz Gertsch, Adrian Ghenie, April Gornik, Isca Greenfield-Sanders, Pat de Groot, Daniel Heidkamp, Barkley L. Hendricks, Israel Hershberg, David Hockney, Shara Hughes, Yvonne Jacquette, Merlin James, Yishai Jusidman, Alex Kanevsky, Alex Katz, Anselm Kiefer, Per Kirkeby, Makiko Kudo, Matvey Levenstein, Li Dafang, Liu Xiaodong, Damian Loeb, Antonio López García, Enrique Martinez Celaya, Julie Mehretu, Justin Mortimer, Maki Na Kamura, Jordan Nassar, Silke Otto-Knapp, Celia Paul, Eggert Pétursson, Sylvia Plimack Mangold, Neo Rauch, Alexis Rockman, Jean-Pierre Roy, Tomás Sánchez, Lisa Sanditz, Serban Savu, George Shaw, Mark Tansey, Alison Elizabeth Taylor, Wayne Thiebaud, Luc Tuymans, Cinta Vidal, Kay WalkingStick, Corinne Wasmuht, Matthew Wong, Jonas Wood, Lisa Yuskavage and Luiz Zerbini

About this title

About the Author

Todd Bradway is an artist and editor based in New York. He was formerly Director of Title Acquisitions at D.A.P., where he worked for over twenty years, and more recently Director of Publishing at David Zwirner Books.

Barry Schwabsky is art critic for The Nation and coeditor of international reviews for Artforum. His recent books include Heretics of Language (2018), The Perpetual Guest: Art in the Unfinished Present (2016), and a collection of poetry, Trembling Hand Equilibrium (2015).

Robert R. Shane received his Ph.D. in Art History and Criticism from Stony Brook University. His scholarly writing and art criticism have been published in sources including Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy, The Brooklyn Rail, and The Shambhala Times. He is currently Associate Professor of Art History at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, and former Managing Editor of the journal Art Criticism.

Louise Sørensen is a writer and editor specializing in contemporary art and the history and theory of photography. She received her Ph.D. in Art History from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London and was Head of Research for the primary market division at David Zwirner from 2010-2017.

Susan A. Van Scoy is a professor of art history at St. Joseph's College, New York. She received her Ph.D. from SUNY Stony Brook and specializes in contemporary art and the history of photography.

Review

Half a century ago, artists focused more on soup cans and abstractions than on the scenes outside their studios. “Landscape Painting Now,” edited by Todd Bradway, shows how much things have changed. (Peter Saenger Wall Street Journal)

Excellent curatorship...what Landscape Painting Now ultimately shows is that the tension between ourselves and “nature” can make for excellent painting. (Leslie Vega ARLIS/NA)

A true visual treat... This is a good choice for readers seeking to expand their knowledge of contemporary painting, and for those looking to augment their library with a beautiful addition. (Sarah Stimson Library Journal)

Deeply entrenched in a long and storied history, contemporary landscape artists also contend with the future―a future saddled with global warming and environmental catastrophe, as well as our increasingly virtual spaces. Maybe the genre is more vital now than it every has been―or that's what is seems like between the covers of Landscape Painting Now. (Artspace)

Leading art critic Barry Schwabsky penned this colorful ode to the enduring appeal of landscape painting. Organized into six chapters, the book offers a leisurely read with insightful commentary on some 80 contemporary artists, both established and emerging, from Cecily Brown’s sensual scenes and David Hockney’s radiant depictions of the English countryside to Julie Mehretu’s cartographic abstractions. (Galerie)

In an age where anxieties about our environmental future dominate headlines, portrayals of the natural world in paintings are especially relevant today – and the genre is thriving. Pioneering in taking a global approach, this book – edited by artist Todd Bradway, with contributions from leading academic arts writers – offers the first comprehensive overview of contemporary landscape painting. (Arts Society)

Ideal for scholars and art lovers, this ambitious work provides an invaluable guide to this ubiquitous subject. (The Arts Society)

Landscape Painting Now features more than 80 contemporary artists who hail from 25 different countries to provide an inclusive and nuanced view. (Sara Barnes My Modern Met)

The coffee-table book Landscape Painting Now: like having a country house, but without the Lyme risk. (New York Magazine)

It's one of those books that you're sure to see in painters' studios for years to come. (Tyler Green Modern Art Notes Podcast)

Edition details

• Publisher: D.A.P.
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1942884265
• ISBN 13: 9781942884262
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 368
• Editor: Bradway Todd