Description
Book SynopsisMaterial 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
Table of ContentsNotes 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
