The Claude Glass (Paperback)

Arnaud Maillet

ISBN 10: 189095148X / ISBN 13: 9781890951481

Published by Zone Books, New York, 2009

About this Item

Paperback. A study of a largely forgotten optical device and its relation to notions of opacity, transparency, and imagination.In this first full-length study of a largely forgotten optical device from the eighteenth century, Arnaud Maillet reconfigures our historical understanding of visual experience and meaning in relation to notions of opacity, transparency, and imagination. Many are familiar with the Claude glass as a small black convex mirror used by artists and spectators of landscape to reflect a view and make tonal values and areas of light and shade visible. In a groundbreaking account, Maillet goes well beyond this particular function of the glass and situates it within a richer archaeology of Western thought, exploring the uncertainties and anxieties about mirrors, reflections, and their potential distortions. He takes us from the magical and occult background of the "black mirror," through a full evaluation of its importance in the age of the picturesque, to its persistence in a range of technological and representational practices, including photography, film, and contemporary art. The Claude Glass is a lasting contribution to the history of Western visual culture. A study of a largely forgotten optical device and its relation to notions of opacity, transparency, and imagination. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781890951481

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Claude Glass (Paperback)
• Publisher: Zone Books, New York
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 189095148X
• ISBN 13: 9781890951481
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

In this first full-length study of a largely forgotten optical device from the eighteenth century, Arnaud Maillet reconfigures our historical understanding of visual experience and meaning in relation to notions of opacity, transparency, and imagination. Many are familiar with the Claude glass as a small black convex mirror used by artists and spectators of landscape to reflect a view and make tonal values and areas of light and shade visible.

In a groundbreaking account, Maillet goes well beyond this particular function of the glass and situates it within a richer archaeology of Western thought, exploring the uncertainties and anxieties about mirrors, reflections, and their potential distortions. He takes us from the magical and occult background of the “black mirror,” through a full evaluation of its importance in the age of the picturesque, to its persistence in a range of technological and representational practices, including photography, film, and contemporary art. The Claude Glass is a lasting contribution to the history of Western visual culture.

About the Author

Arnaud Maillet is an art historian who received his doctorate at the University of Paris I. The Claude Glass is his first book.