Customer Reviews

Art as Art: The Selected Writings of Ad Reinhardt (Documents of Twentieth-Century Art)

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Ad Reinhardt was the epitome of the late modernist painter. He polished his craft and his concept until it was air tight and nearly impervious to criticism. Though we can deny that his paintings are the 'last paintings,' we cannot deny that they altered the course of modern art. Nor that they are sublime, spiritual, human accomplishments.

This writing shines a light in the darkness that is Ad Reinhardt. Though especially useful for a Reinhardt scholar or enthusiast, the writings will enlighten any painter or student of twentieth century art. How far can an artist go into the furnace of self discovery? How much of a painting is truth and how much seduction? Open these pages and discover the answers to these questions and many others.

"Dark within dark; the gateway to all understanding." Tao te ching.

This book will only be valuable to people interested in or studying the work of Ad Reinhardt. For this purpose, it is excellent. Rose's introductions are clear and concise, however, Reinhardt's writing itself tends to be esoteric and repetitive. For those who are interested in this era of American painting in general (primarily the 1950's) this probably won't be that helpful as Reinhardt's cryptic philosophies do not mimic most of his more famous contemporaries.