Full Description
Material Imagination examines the interrelated concepts of matter, materialism, and materiality in postwar European art, from 1946-1972.
Provides a unique perspective on European art by prioritizing material dimensions over concept or context, while also paying attention to theoretical and historical concerns
Explores artists' methods and materials in order to better understand the social and cultural environments in which their works of art were made
Demonstrates how materials can be harnessed to affect the critical interpretation of artwork
Brings together exceptional illustrations and new research in eight essays by art historians and scholars
Contents
Notes on Contributors 6
Chapter 1 Material Imagination: Art in Europe, 1946-72 8
Natalie Adamson and Steven Harris
Chapter 2 Black Flowers Blossom: Bachelard, Soulages and the Material Imaginary of Abstract Painting 22
Natalie Adamson
Chapter 3 Materialism and Intersubjectivity in Cobra 44
Karen Kurczynski
Chapter 4 Makeshift Wholes: Interiority and Texture in Postwar British Design 66
Alex Kitnick
Chapter 5 Materializing Modernism in Postwar Italy: Fausto Melotti, Gio Ponti, and the 1961 88
Esposizione Internazionale del Lavoro Marin R. Sullivan
Chapter 6 L'Optique Moderne: Daniel Spoerri's 'Optical Readymades' 112
Jill Carrick
Chapter 7 Terrain vague: Ben Vautier and the Ecole de Nice 140
Anna Dezeuze
Chapter 8 'Not Yet' Materialized: Carlfriedrich Claus's 'Talking Papers' 164
Sarah E. James
Chapter 9 The Longevity of Roman Opałka 188
Alistair Rider
Index 209
