Oh books books, dull dull

Marsden Hartley, “Art - and the Personal Life” 1928

Chipp, H. B. (1968) Theories of Modern Art. London; California: University of California Press. P. 526-528

This essay expresses Hartley’s strong opinion that art and the personal life should be kept separate, and that art should be approached only logically and technically and never be hampered by emotion: “I do not admire the irrationality of the imaginative life.” (Chipp 1968:527) He expresses a belief that the presence of emotion or the artist’s identity is distasteful.

Writing Identity: On Autobiography in Art

Steiner, B (2004) Autobiography. London: Thames & Hudson. P. 11-28

This introduction discusses the difficulty of tackling autobiography in creative mediums, and the benefits of using both methods other than text, and selection and omission when discussing autobiography: “IF coherent, continuous autobiographical narrative is an impossibility, then it makes sense to open up the study of autobiography to other forms of expression.” (Steiner 2004:13)

The Naked and the Nude

Clark, K (1980) The Nude. Middlesex; New York: Penguin Books. P. 1-25

Discussing body ideals and conformity, this writing tackles the subject of the body/nude as an aesthetic model to be described and perfected, and as an inevitable object of human desire, empathy and association. The body is not discussed in terms of either its owner, or the artist’s internal processes.

The Body in Contemporary Art. P. 7-15

O’Reilly, S (2009) The Body in Contemporary Art. London: Thames &Hudson

In this introduction the Body in Art is regarded in terms of the psychical and inextricable connection between the human psyche and body, as opposed to viewing the body as merely a vessel for the mind. A clear distinction is made between ‘The Body’, and ‘The Figure’; “Figurative artwork tends to reside in the realm of the optical, whereas that involving the body required a wider consideration.” (O’Reilly 2009:10)

The Informe Body

Warr, T (2000) The Informe Body. [Online] Available at: http://people.brunel.ac.uk/bst/1no1/traceywarr.html (Last accessed: Jun 12 2012)

‘The Informe Body’ by Tracey Warr discusses the Artist’s body and its significance in terms of the body’s position as both subject and object; universality and empathic connection to the audience; taboo and the body as a controversial tool and the body as a means of either self expression or exploring collective ideas.

The Body as Language. Body Art and Like Stories

Vergine, L (2000) Body Art and Performance; The Body as Language. Milano: Skira Editore. P. 7-27

This essay serves to hypothesis on the motives behind using the body in art, with particular emphasis on aggression towards the body, psycho-physical connections, and the reciprocation and projection between artist and audience: “It is indispensible that the public co-operate with him [the artist], since what he needs it to be confirmed in his identity.