American Self-Taught Art: An Illustrated Analysis of 20th Century Artists and Trends With 1,319 Capsule Biographies [Hardcover]

Florence Laffal (Author), Julius Laffal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2003 | ISBN-10: 0786416696 | ISBN-13: 978-0786416691

Self-taught art (sometimes called outsider art or folk art) is made up of paintings, drawings, sculptures, assemblages, outdoor constructions and other items created by people who have had little or no formal training in art and who produce (or at least began by producing) art without regard to mainstream recognition or the marketplace. Interest in the field has increased tremendously since the beginning of the 1990s, and there are now several major periodicals, numerous large yearly auctions, and dozens of museums and galleries devoted to the field.

This important analysis of the art form in twentieth century America begins by explaining the emergence of self-taught art, and introducing the reader to key aspects. The second chapter gives comparative studies of trends in self-taught art divided by gender, race and region. It further examines such issues as education, employment, and the circumstances under which artists became active. The main body of the work consists of 1,319 biographies of artists, providing for each such data as dates, location, origins, education, employment, style, media, themes and unusual characteristics. Another section deals with 44 categories of self-taught art that include media such as collage, painting, pottery, relief carving of wood, sculpture of stone, sculpture of metal and stitchery; styles such as abstract, rudimentary and surrealistic; and themes such as animals, death, humor, politics, religion, vehicles and words. A lengthy discussion and integration of findings concludes the main text.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Artist and art educator Florence Laffal (M.A., Columbia University) was editor and publisher of Folk Art Finder for twenty years. Psychologist Julius Laffal (an associate professor at Yale University) has published numerous articles and books. They are both recipients of the Folk Art Society of America award of distinction. They live in Essex, Connecticut.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub (November 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786416696
• ISBN-13: 978-0786416691
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,813,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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