Juan Gris [Hardcover]

Christopher Green (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 27, 1993

This book presents a study of Juan Gris and Cubism. It is published to coincide with an exhibition at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London on 18th September. Gris was the first of the major Cubists to die. His career ended in 1927, while those of Picasso, Braque and Leger continued for many decades further. However, his historical significance as a leading Cubist whose work offers insights into the phenomenon of Cubism as a whole remains. His career as a painter (1910-1917) exactly correlates with the years of Cubism's greatest notoriety. This book, by offering a close scrutiny of his work, offers also a succession of observations on Cubism from the period before 1914 through the 1914-18 war, into the period of the post-war "Rappel a l'ordre". The main body of the book consists of seven essays by Christopher Green. They are not written to form a narrative but to analyze different aspects of Gris' work in the context of Cubism. The issues addressed include the construction of Gris' image as a Cubist alongside Picasso and Braque, the status of his reputation as "the demon of logic" and the painter of a new Platonism, the acceptance and then rejection of his "late" work, the role of gender, nationalism and notions of tradition in his figure-painting and the workings of metaphorical and of theatrical allusion in his still-lives. Both Gris and Cubism are re-examined as elements of a wide-ranging cultural history which covers a fundamental change in the France of the Third Republic. Karin von Maur contributes a study on the theme of music in Gris' work and Christian Derouet contributes a discussion on the 150 letters discovered which were written by Gris between 1915 and 1921.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Juan Gris, the cubist painter whose career ended with early death in 1927, has been considered the most rational of the cubists. This volume, coinciding with a recent European exhibition of Gris's work, reexamines earlier scholarship to propose a view of him as a more complex and varied artistic personality. Green's substantial essays are written at a level suitable for readers already familiar with the historical period and relevant critical theory. There are also essays by Karin von Maur on Gris's relation to music and theater and by Christian Derouet on Gris's letters. A nice selection of color and black-and-white reproductions completes the volume. Recommended for research collections or other large collections with an interest in the field.
- Kathryn W. Finkelstein, M.Ln., Cincinnati
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (January 27, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300053746
• ISBN-13: 978-0300053746
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,560,055 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Juan Gris, the purist, January 5, 2008

By 

Claude Reich (Florianopolis, Brazil and Paris, France) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Juan Gris (Hardcover)

Given the dearth of Juan Gris books, this is by far the best option, even though it is a 15 year-old catalogue (Whitechapel Art Gallery in London and Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, the Netherlands). The quality of the many illustrations (most in color) and the seriousness of the text (written by leading authorities on the painter)which follows a chronological order as well as distinguishes some important themes (Gris's objects, for instance)do justice to this most important of artists, the most purist of the Cubists, who was admired (an admiration mixed with jealousy, though) both by Picasso and Braque. The entire career of Gris is covered and many previously unpublished documents make this book an indispensable item in any modern arts library.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars those famous greys of Gris, August 7, 2007

By 

Winston hough "klee fan" (Glenview, Il. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Juan Gris (Hardcover)

This is the best book on Juan Gris. It has a full review of the artist's career and life.The colour reproductions in it I prefer to the other books on Gris I own. The plates are the largest and the best. If you like Gris you should buy this book: it is handsomely bound in paper and the binding is a good quality. The type fonts are readable and suitably designed to the subject.