Critical Kitaj (Issues in Art History Series) [Hardcover]

James Aulich (Editor), John Lynch (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2000 | Series: Issues in Art History Series

The 1994 Kitaj retrospective at the Tate Gallery generated a great deal of furor and discussion, only confirming this artist's stature as a major figure in the postwar international arts scene. In over thirty years as a successful and respected artist, Kitaj has explored the relationship between the visual and the poetic, taking references from high literature and popular culture to develop an iconography of post-Holocaust Jewish identity in his work. In his search for personal and artistic identity the subjects of his work and life have taken him on a literal and figurative journey via Vienna, New York, Paris, London, Frankfurt and Los Angeles from youthful bohemianism and studied anarchism to the discovery of his Jewishness. His subject matter has not between easy, drawing inspiration and alluding to such diverse sources as Walter Benjamin, R. P. Blackmur, Ezra Pound, and John Ford.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...I find this collection actually the best book-length study of Kitaj that is available." -- Sander L. Gillman, Henry R. Luce Distinguished Service Professor of the Liberal Arts in Human Biology, The University of Chicago. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

The 1994 Kitaj retrospective at the Tate Gallery generated a great deal of furor and discussion, only confirming this artist's stature as a major figure in the postwar international arts scene. In over thirty years as a successful and respected artist, Kitaj has explored the relationship between the visual and the poetic, taking references from high literature and popular culture to develop an iconography of post-Holocaust Jewish identity in his work. In his search for personal and artistic identity the subjects of his work and life have taken him on a literal and figurative journey via Vienna, New York, Paris, London, Frankfurt and Los Angeles from youthful bohemianism and studied anarchism to the discovery of his Jewishness. His subject matter has not between easy, drawing inspiration and alluding to such diverse sources as Walter Benjamin, R. P. Blackmur, Ezra Pound, and John Ford. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813528992
• ISBN-13: 978-0813528991
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,360,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent collection of critical essays, January 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Critical Kitaj (Issues in Art History Series) (Paperback)

As a student currently researching a dissertation on Kitaj, I must say that this handy little book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the study of this fascinating artist. The texts are rather dense and scholarly (the general reader should check out Marco Livingstone's monograph) but they cover a very wide range of issues and interpretations, some of which have never been dealt with in depth before. One such example is Pat Gilmour's essay on Kitaj's importance as a screenprinter, something rarely touched on in the literature, mainly due to Kitaj's re-evaluation of his early work.

Furthermore, other essays explore Kitaj's relation to tradition, his interest in cinema, as well as the social and historical context surrounding some of his allusive paintings. There is even a rather critical essay by Terry Atkinson (formerly of Art & Language) which takes Kitaj to task for daring to carry on the "fetish" of painting. Rather, suggests Atkinson, artists ought to give up such nonsense and sit around pondering the nature of Modernism instead. Oh well, we can't all be philosophers, yet it's heartening that there are still artists alive such as Kitaj who can carry on producing painting which invites informed and stimulating discussion in books such as this.