Cremaster 2 [Paperback]

Richard Flood (Author), Matthew Barney (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Walker Art Center (October 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935640649
• ISBN-13: 978-0935640649
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,435,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive Coverage of Cremaster 2, June 25, 2010

By 

Paige Turner "Paige" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cremaster 2 (Paperback)

If you're reading this review you already know about the Matthew Barney masterpiece "The Cremaster Cycle." The forward-looking Walker Art Center in Minneapolis had an exhibition of Cremaster 2 in 1999, and this book summarizes this work, with several photos which are from the film. I applaud Richard Flood on his foresight in displaying this work, even before the brilliant Nancy Spector brought the entire Cycle to the Guggenheim. It is just another reason why I find the Walker Art Center to be a world-class museum which doesn't receive the recognition it deserves.

Matthew Barney's work is not accessible to most people. It consists of a universe of photos, vaseline sculptures, installations and drawings which orbit the sun of the massive five-part film. Barney boldly explores the deepest questions of humankind - the creative process, fate, destiny, creation, and sexual differentiation. His attention for detail is stunning. Every other piece of popular contemporary art is a "paint-by-numbers" compared to the complexity and depth of his work. If it were dialogue in a screenplay, it would never be accused of being "on the nose." Yet his work is not a scramble of mad auteur nonsense, either. He asks some very deep questions and his work is worth the effort to understand, which brings us to books like Cremaster 2.

Cremaster 2 is perhaps the most violent and troubling of the Cycle. Richard Flood adds a brief but informative couple of pages in the beginning of the book discussing the work. While it is indeed informative, if you are looking for the Rosetta Stone of the Cycle, this is not it. Nancy Spector covers that much better in her massive opus, "The Cremaster Cycle."

However, for in-depth photography of Cremaster 2, this book is even better. After the brief introductory pages, the rest of the book is full of full color photos covering the main points of the film. Almost all of the intense imagery is included, including the explicit inception of Bessie Gilmore scene. I was disappointed there was no image of the "Polaris" scene which to me was one of the most arresting of the film, but that is a small point.

This book is a must-own for anyone that enjoys the intensely detailed, multi-layered genius of The Cremaster Cycle.