Art of Light + Space (Abbeville Modern Art Movements) - Hardcover

Jan Butterfield

3.77

13 ratings by Goodreads

9781558592728: Art of Light + Space (Abbeville Modern Art Movements)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1558592725 ISBN 13: 9781558592728

Publisher: Abbeville Press, 1993

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

Ethereal, evocative, the art of Light and Space pushes the viewer beyond the everyday limits of perception. It takes many different forms and uses many different materials, ranging from natural daylight and scrim to glass, plywood, neon, and fire. It taps into far-ranging ideas and systems of knowledge, including alchemy, Buddhism, aerospace technology, witchcraft, astronomy, physiology, and phenomenology.
Written by the foremost authority on the subject and based on more than two decades of research, The Art of Light and Space is the first book to provide an overview of this powerful and increasingly public art form. With rare photographs, extensive artist interviews, and her own insightful obversations, Jan Butterfield vividly documents the history of this diverse and sometimes elusive work.
Following a useful introduction that succinctly places the art of Light and Space in the larger context of modern art, the book is divided into ten chapters, each focused on one artist: Robert Irwin, James Turrell, Maria Nordman, Douglas Wheeler, Bruce Nauman, Eric Orr, Larry Bell, DeWain Valentine, Susan Kaiser Vogel, and Hap Tivey. Insightful prtrait photographs by Jim McHugh open each chapter and capture the quirky individuality of these inexhaustibly creative men and women.The innovative graphic design emphasizes the artists' own words, both in sidebars and in the text, making their voices unusually accessible.
The processes of creating the works seen here are as intriguing as the final results, and all are illuminated by the text, the illustrations, and the design of the provocative, invaluable volume.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From Library Journal:

Light and Space, a movement originating in California in the 1960s, defined its art by its very experiential existence and usually consisted of ephemeral installations. The task of documenting and critiquing this work, now seen throughout the world, is admirably handled by Butterfield, head of a Santa Monica consulting firm for artists. Using a combination of installation photographs, comments by artists and critics, and language that captures the works' evocative nature without lapsing into meaningless jargon, she focuses on ten key artists and through their work traces the development of Light and Space art from its early, experimental phase to its mature expressions and present acceptance in the form of major public commissions. Highly recommended for collections of contemporary art.-- Martin R. Kalfatovic, Natl. Museum of American Art/Natl. Portrait Gallery Lib., Smithsonian Inst., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

Light and Space art, a movement that began in Southern California in the late 1960s, uses glass, cast acrylic, phosphorescent materials, floor lights and so forth to evoke the ripple of sunshine on water, the flicker of light through the trees, a splash of moonlight. In this profusely illustrated, entrancing survey, art critic and artists' consultant Butterfield investigates an art that takes shape through the viewer's directed perception. Examples include Robert Irwin's mysterious, luminous spun-aluminum discs, Maria Nordman's geometrically planted trees that redefine public spaces, James Turrell's hovering three-dimensional cube of light and Eric Orr's transmutation of alchemy, Egyptian ruins and kabbalistic lore into "silent, awesome, magical" installations and environmental sculpture. This album showcases a movement that deserves to be better known.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.