In the late 1940s, several prominent artists of the New York School--among them Robert Rauschenberg, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko and Frank Stella--were intently studying the color black. That work, interrelated but not collaborative, resulted in an astonishing number of almost monochromatic black paintings, which today are considered treasures of many major collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art's. For the first time, Black Paintings gathers all of the best of the title artist's black works together: textured black, striped black, blue-black, brown-black, black-black. In thorough illustration and thoughtful analysis, it sheds light on the differences between these postwar works as well as their commonalities. For Frank Stella and Robert Rauschenberg, black was a way to disappear into something new, a way to a new artistic vocabulary. For Mark Rothko, it stood for emptiness and nothingness; it asked the spectator to reflect back on it. For Ad Reinhardt, it offered denial and invisibility. Each artist's black portfolio reflects a breakthrough or transition in his own work, and, combined, they represent a larger moment of transition. The Black Paintings marked both a beginning and an end: the end of painting as illusion, as a window onto the world, and the beginning of painting as the mode for the creation of self-sufficient perceptual objects--a change that granted new roles to both artist and viewer.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Black is Light,
By
This review is from: Black Paintings: Robert Rauschenberg, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, Frank Stella (Hardcover)
Black Paintings offers a unique view of the creative process of image making among some of the prominent painters of our time. The book has an unusual format - the font used and layout of the text, almost as though it was done on a typewriter.
The quality of the reproductions is very good although some of them require taking a hard look to see the nuances of tonal differences within the dark shades of black. I highly recommend this book to anyone seriously interested in the art of painting.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Dark Palette,
By dream factory (Triangulum, M33) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Black Paintings: Robert Rauschenberg, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, Frank Stella (Hardcover)
Our last 8 reviews have been about things black. This was brought to our attention by a colleague. Well let's progress along this subconsciously established line with an in-depth book about the subject of black. Black paintings that is.
Abstract expressionism was all about the power of painting. The power of color. The power of the act painting. So how did these powerful painters progress to a black pallet? It all started to coalesc in the early to mid 50's. For one reason or another they reduced the coloration of their abstraction to shades of black. An Ab-Ex climax through negation. Also the forerunner of Minimal art and Concept art. This black art movement proved to be enduring. And this beautiful book presents it wonderfully. A great addition to your art book collection. The text is clear and highly informative. The reproductions are done great.
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