Medardo Rosso: Second Impressions [Hardcover]

Harry Cooper (Author), Sharon Hecker (Author), Medardo Rosso (Author), Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (Smithsonian Institution) (Author), Fogg Art Museum (Corporate Author), St. Louis Art Museum (Corporate Author), Nasher Sculpture Center (Corporate Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1891771310 | ISBN-13: 978-1891771316 | Publication Date: February 2004

The Italian artist Medardo Rosso (1858-1928) is a key figure in the development of modern sculpture. His portraits and figure studies have long been considered sculptural equivalents to Impressionism's concern with light at the expense of form. This book presents an artist more deeply concerned with materials, process, and the reproduction of his works than previously imagined. Rosso's fascination with technique is explored in detail from art historical, technical, and phenomenological perspectives. Drawing on a wealth of new archival material and close-up study of the sculptures, the authors show that Rosso's waxes, which are his best-known works, were not modelled by hand but cast with the help of gelatin moulds. The authors compare wax, plaster, and bronze casts of the same subjects to show that the manipulation of materials for visual effect was at the heart of his work. The book also reproduces and analyses Rosso's fascinating photographs of his own sculpture, which offer important clues to the charged relationship he sought to create between viewers and the mysterious busts and figures he made.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Undoubtedly the best single account of the sculptor's life and work. -- Hilton Kramer, New York Observer

[One] of this year's best art books. -- Christine Temin, Boston Sunday Globe --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

This book is the catalogue for an exhibition at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University Art Museum (July 19 to October 26, 2003); the St. Louis Art Museum (November 21, 2003 to February 29, 2004); and the Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas (April 3 to June 20, 2004). Published in association with the Harvard University Art Museums --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 164 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Univ Art Museum (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891771310
• ISBN-13: 978-1891771316
• Product Dimensions: 13 x 10 x 1 inches
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,558,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Open Case of Medardo Rosso, October 25, 2003

By 

Douglas Walla (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Medardo Rosso: Second Impressions (Hardcover)

While this exhibition and publication include some superb examples of casts made by the artist, it is full of casts NOT made by the artist. A very confusing presentation which sets Rosso scholarship back 25 years.

If you want to know Rosso as demonstated by his own hand from the standpoint of connoisseurship, pass this publication by. I can recommend to you the following publications as superior references:

1979 Palazzo Della Permanente, Milan
1984 Frankfurter Kunstverein, Steinernes

1985 Galleria Pieter Coray, Lugano
1988 Kent Fine Art, New York
1994 Whitechapel Art Gallery, London
1996 Santiago de Compostela, Spain

It needs to be stated that Rosso not only made his own waxes (with multiple and changing variations), but he also made his own bronzes in his studio experimenting with process and alchemy. Whatever material, Rosso did not make editions, but rather variations as was the later case with Brancusi. Prior to artists such as Marini, I believe Rosso was the first to never conceal the casting process with chasing and lacquer, but rather leave the firescale and residue as an integral aspect of the "impression" of the piece. Further, most of the works were created to be shown with light from one vantage point as demonstrated by the photography he made during the last 20 years of his life. Rosso was concerned with how to dematerialize the subject. He was concerned with light and environment.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rosso Re-examined, November 6, 2003

By 

"valerie76" (Saint Louis, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Medardo Rosso: Second Impressions (Hardcover)

Sharon Hecker and Harry Cooper provide excellent insight into an extremely important, under-appreciated artist and his technique. Hilton Kramer describes Hecker's treatment of Rosso as the most thoughtful account of Rosso ever written. (see Hilton Kramer, "Sculptor Rosso Coated Work in Wax as Performance Art," New York Observer (August 18, 2003))

There is no question that Rosso made his own waxes and bronzes. Hecker's essay deals mainly with Rosso as the founder of his sculptures. It should also be mentioned that this exhibition does not intend to deceive the viewer by including posthumous casts as some have claimed. Hecker devotes more than two pages of her essay to this issue (pp. 60-62). Rosso authorized the posthumous reproduction of some of his works, and Hecker convincingly shows that these pieces are, in fact, part of "the sculptor's legacy and intention." (p. 62) Including them in the exhibition gives the viewer another dimension of Rosso's work and technique to consider.

Finally, Hecker does not deny that Rosso was interested in the dematerialization of the subject. Her particularly thoughtful treatment of Rosso's interests attempts to reconcile his need to dematerialize his sculpture and his profound interest and attention to the physical material of his sculpture.