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Totality: Abstraction and Meaning in the Art of Barnett Newman

By (author) Michael Schreyach

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normal price: R 1,386.95

Price: R 1,247.95

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| book description |

An original and ambitious approach to understanding the creative achievements of one of the most important American artists of the twentieth century.Â Totality offers a deeply researched and thoughtful account of the art of Barnett Newman (1905â€“1970). While Newmanâ€™s paintings are widely regarded as among the most significant statements of abstract expressionismâ€”and emblematic of modernism at midcenturyâ€”they pose distinct challenges to formal description and historical evaluation. With this book, Michael Schreyach guides readers toward a transformed understanding of Newmanâ€™s profound body of work. Â Through a sequence of close readings, Schreyach examines six key termsâ€”symbol, surface, self-evidence, space, standpoint, and scaleâ€”that illuminate the meaning of Newmanâ€™s claims for the â€œmetaphysicalâ€ content of his art. Totality progresses from the meticulous analysis of the technical structure and visual appearance of specific works to critical and archivally documented arguments about Newmanâ€™s intentions. The result is an altogether original interpretation of the artistâ€™s enterprise, as surprising as it is nuanced.