Uta Barth (Contemporary Artists (Phaidon)) [Paperback]

Matthew Higgs (Author)

Book Description

Series: Contemporary Artists (Phaidon) | Publication Date: November 1, 2004

Barth works in extended series over a number of years. These have generic titles which reveal the rationale behind her work. "Ground", used since 1994, explores backgrounds without the figures normally associated with pictorial composition. "Field", the title for many images of urban and natural environments since 1995, suggests an environment freed of its limits, and also recalls a term used in painting, such as "colour field". "Nowhere Near", a title used since 1999, suggests the movement in and out of focus, conveying both distance and closeness, that characterizes Barth's work. It also suggests the "in-between" place that is evoked by these extraordinary images that take us momentarily outside our habitual perception of the things around us.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714841536
• ISBN-13: 978-0714841533
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #477,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Prints

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Revision of Vision: "Uta Barth" by Matthew Higgs (et al), November 20, 2004

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LWC (Las Vegas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uta Barth (Contemporary Artists (Phaidon)) (Paperback)

This splendid monograph on the work of Uta Barth lays out in lavish detail how she deconstructs vision into a series of sensations and effects. She began making pictures of the backgrounds of snapshots, and then photos of the backgrounds of action film stills. Her aim was the periphery of conscious sight, and the results have been dazzlingly effective. She has progressed in this investigation of vision by adding the effects of the passage of time, and investigating the visual collapse that occurs from an extended stare. Her pictures are always rigorously composed and stunningly beautiful, and they are accurately illustrated in this superb book. The essays are smart and insightful, and the interviews are enlightening. Well worth the cost.