Writing on the Wall

This systematic study explores the way in which words have encroached on the visual arts from the late 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century. Simon Morley identifies the key ways in which artists and movements of the modern and contemporary era used words.

"An intriguing survey of word-imbued artworks of the modern period, Writing on the Wall will surely be a touchstone for readings on the relationship between language and art across time. While filling a gap in the current scholarship on text in art, Morley has crafted in clear, accessible prose, a study that is easily extrapolated beyond modernism, indeed beyond the fine arts. It is an adventuresome work, and extremely stimulating."--Kathy O'Dell, author of "Contract with the Skin: Masochism, Performance Art, and the 1970s