Description
Book SynopsisThe monochrome - a single-colour work of art - is highly ambiguous. For some it epitomizes purity, and is art reduced to its essence. For others it is just a stunt, the emperor's new clothes. Why are monochromes so admired, yet such an easy target of scorn? In this illuminating book Simon Morley unpacks the meanings of the monochrome as it developed internationally over the twentieth century to today. In doing so he explores more general questions such as how artists have understood what they make, how critics variously interpret it and how art is encountered by viewers.
Trade Review"An indispensable introduction to the intriguing material, optical, and philosophical challenges posed by the monochrome. Morley writes with such tact and insight that anyone interested in the contemporary practice of painting, whether expert or novice, will find the book a delight."--Malcolm Bull, Professor of Art and the History of Ideas, University of Oxford "Brilliantly explores the labyrinthine complexities of this apparently simple form of abstract art."--David Batchelor, artist
Table of Contents1 Introductions 2 Setting 3 Reception 4 Colour 5 Ground 6 Spiritual 7 Indefinable 8 Nothingness 9 Experiential 10 Zen 11 Material 12 Format 13 Sign 14 Idea 15 Allegorical 16 Expanded Field 17 East-Asia 18 Contemporary 19 Conclusion References
